Indispensable - Lies of the Heart
by SongCall
Summary: With a sketchy past and nothing more than an interesting origin story and a quaint little home within Wall Rose, two girls decide to enter the Training Corps to hopefully use their lives to make strides for humanity. However, as they progress, they begin to uncover answers to long-forgotten questions. OC-Centric but heavily involves canons. Manga Spoilers later (Will give warning).
1. Chapter 1: The Beginning

**A/N: Trying something a bit different this time! I've... actually really never made an Attack on Titan fanfiction before. This is the first one I've ever written, and certainly the first I've ever published. Hooray for firsts!**

 **I hope you guys enjoy!**

The breeze was lithe with warmth from Summer's end, blowing in from the streets and carrying the dull beige curtains of the tiny home along with it. The little house seemed to be constructed of whatever could be found around the general surroundings, and clearly not of the greatest quality. Despite this, however, the underwhelming pieces of furniture that dotted the room in the form of little tables and chairs that seemed to match that pitiful size were carefully attended to to ensure their longevity. Barely any specs of dust could be seen atop the table, even with the help the rays of sunlight added through the cracked window.

Inhibited voices began to carry through the opening into the home, followed by the sound of clawwing against the door, before said door was kicked carelessly to the side.

"I'm just saying. All the slack the scouts get is just a show of poor support from the interior," One girl's voice continued, reaching new clarity upon entering her home. She edged to the corner of the cramped main room, searching momentarily before locating a relatively empty corner to dump the armful of firewood. She returned to her full height, dusting her hands together to shake the excess lumber dust.

The dark haired girl that came in behind the first -arms filled with folded linens- used her foot to shut the door behind her, passing a glance to her housemate. "Well, from what I know, everyone's just worried, you know? They wonder what good it is to go fighting a threat outside instead of worrying about life here."

"But, let's be honest," The lighter haired girl spoke up, finally getting the opportunity to straighten herself, as she demonstrated with a seemingly satisfying stretch, "The walls aren't going to be able to satisfy our needs as people forever." She sat down at the compact table, stretching her legs out beneath it, only to recoil them when her companion took a seat. Her slightly tanned fingers interlocked into her medium-brown hair, pushing it back in against the crown, "We're growing and prospering here, but sooner or later the cities are going to get more crowded than they are. And what about resources? And-" She hammered her elbows down onto the table, flopping her chin down to wedge between her waiting palms, "and what happens when these walls can't keep back our threat anymore? We've already seen it once with Shinga-"

"Okay!" The dark haired companion spoke up quickly. She sat up straight and alert, then began to avert her dark brown eyes elsewhere, "Can we not talk about this..?" She hesitently spoke beneath the cover of her breath, lips twitching into a wavering frown, "Just... not now-"

"Ada," The brunette piped up. While she normally had a policy about not interrupting, this particular topic's severity seemed to light a pretty serious fire in her, "When do you want to talk about this?"

The slight appearance of such seriousness coming from the usual light-hearted girl caused Ada to jolt slightly. While she had glanced up to take a glance at the girl, the sharpness of the sentiment immediately caused her gaze to seek comfort elsewhere whilst avoiding eye-contact once more. "I know it has to be brought up, but.."

"It's a difficult reality, but..." The brunette murmured quietly, adjusting her seating to retract her legs into a criss-cross position, "...it's just that. A reality. The titans broke one wall, and I don't think it'd be logical to assume they'd stop there."

Ada knew there was truth in what her friend was saying, but the idea of having to face such a scary thought - the possibility of total extinction itself -, left her constantly evasive of the topic. Ever since Shinganshina had been compromised some time ago, it had been the only thing on her housemate's mind. Thinking deeper into the possibilities of what caused it, the appearance of titans so close to the wall, let alone having the ability to breach it, the science behind titans that made them so formidable aside from their sign, and of course the political faults of the world's current mindset towards them. It was beginning to build up to something - but what that something was left Ada a bit on edge.

"That's why I aim to join the cause."

There it was.

Ada's breath caught in her throat, her dark brown eyes fixated on her friend in utter disbelief, "Lynette!"

The determined brunette, Lynette, stared across the small table, arms folded as she did so, "What? Was I supposed to live out in a comfy home in a corner of Wall Rose until Titans decided to burst through?" The brown eyed girl frowned to Ada, not taking any personal joy in the discomfort she was causing her, but it had to be said. "Titans are coming, whether we like it or not - at first it was just a pessimistic thought, but now it's a fact. When it boils down to a fight for our lives - I'd like to have the resources to be in control of what happens to it."

"You're right..." She knew she was right. She usually was, especially given all the thought she would put into things on nearly a daily basis. Still, that made Ada just as aware that she and Lynette were of different sorts. While Lynette, she knew would dive first into danger, she liked to play her roles from a more... lowkey place of security..? Her lips parted, uttering a tiny breath resembling a sigh just slightly. But did she have a choice?

"If you go," Ada spoke up, finger coursing up her dark skin hesitantly, "I'll go."

The tense seating of Lynette began to loosen, her shoulders drooping slightly as her expression grew a tad obscure. Her lips curled inwards to be gently sandwiched by her teeth inside of her mouth - this went on momentarily as if she were searching for her words, only for her to finally speak up, "Now, Ada, you know that wasn't what I was getting at here." The brown haired girl stood, her somewhat short fingers pushing through the portions of straight hair over her shoulders to cast it to her back, where it came just above the middle of her back. "I wanted to explain my reasons and give you a chance to think about a really necessary future - not pressure you."

"You didn't pressure me," Ada spoke up, also standing, meeting the slightly shorter girl with an assurant expression, "I thought about it, and I decided." The quieter, taller girl, raised her hand out, uttering as sincere a smile as she could despite her visible nerves seeping in. "I can't have an idiot like you out there risking her neck while I wait back home, can I?"

Lynette's expression seemed to be still just as studious, careful - watching Ada's dark eyes closely and calculatively as if searching for something in her response. After this momentarily silence between them - therein none of them daring to move as if their stillness was a proclamation of their resolve-, she spoke up, "Are you sure?"

"I may be scared," Ada began, sternly watching straight ahead with her fist clenching and layering across her chest, "But I would never quit without even trying."

* * *

" _I changed my mind, I want to go home!_ "

"What? After all that big talk?!" Lynette stared back to Ada, whom, unfortunately, couldn't seem to keep up the same bravery when faced with the real thing. As the two entered the training camp, Ada clutched onto her shorter companion whilst they walked amidst a crowd of other incoming trainees. It seemed like she couldn't keep her resolve after all.

With good reason, Lynette would add, though of course not aloud. While she had personally never been one to feel the weight of pressure in a situation most found 'intimidating', she had to admit she could understand how it would seem scary to most.

On either side of them were people in their same situations, all of which seemed to be ranging from horribly anxious to haughty and excited. A few of what could be thought of as authority figures were standing amongst the crowds people that they were wedged between, and in this particular location it gave a very convenient view of the mountain pass leading up to the fields. To top it all off, the way the land was leveled and divided into such particular quarters made it feel like a full-on labor camp.

"I think this may have been a mistake..." Ada murmured, brow furrowing as twinges of dread streaked down her face, "What do I even have to offer in something like this..?"

"Well - that's what we're here to figure out, isn't it..?" Lynette tipped her head back, eyes traveling slowly up the sun pinned between the clouds and the tops of the trees. So this would be the setting of their beginning. Their rise to aid humanity.

 **A/N: I do indeed to have this include canon characters, but it will probably remain relatively OC-centric until I really start pushing further into the story. I have a few ideas. I just don't know how to approach them yet.**

 **Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed! Thank you thank you, my Melodies!**


	2. Chapter 2: Conditioning

**A/N: Here's the next one all out and set and ready and whatnot! Much longer than the first.**

"Come on!" Ada impatiently called. Her hand rested against the door and her body was anxiously fidgeting in place to the tune of her aggressive nerves. First thing in the morning - literally at dawn -, and Lynette felt the need to take her time? This was a training camp. The Western Division Training Corps. Who could have possibly had an imagination capable of fathoming what horrors could have awaited them once they reached their first morning assembly. "We can't be late," She tried urging with this once more, hoping it would get the message across, but her confidence in beating their mystery instructor to the destination was wearing thin.

"We won't be late!" She could hear Lynette call from inside, "We literally have plenty of time!"

The reply left Ada's shoulders slumping in a mix between defeat and outward distress, "If we're late, I swear to-" At the moment the dark eyed girl aimed to complete her sentence, her wandering eye caught something just at the corner. A couple of passerbys heading towards the morning assembly, and each of them tossing her an inquisitive glance along the way, before she could hear their whispers beginning.

' _Shoot, just out of range...'_ She thought bitterly, knowing that ordinarily given the chance, she would have been lending her ear to their conversation. Not knowing though... well that left her a little worried. If not, maybe a little self-conscious?

Tipping and maneuvering her head about, Ada managed to catch a window, pushed from the inside by the dark colored covering that managed to block out just enough of the transparency to form a decent reflection.

Her hand released the door, which she urged her foot against to keep in place, and her hands found themselves on her waist momentarily. Well, using the white button up and tucking it into the white pants was definitely the best option. It fit her form, making her slender stature take well to the look - not to mention the fact that the button up assisted her body in looking a bit...less slim in places she _wanted_ to look less slim. Her head tipped as she took a quick look at her chest, then adjusted the brown jacket across her in a way that seemed a bit more pleasing to the eye.

' _I think I look fine...'_ She thought to herself, taking a quick gander down to the many straps that likewise adorned her form. They were... flattering - everything looked okay, didn't it? So why were they looking at her like that?

She lifted her fingers to adjust her glasses, then raised her hand up to the mess of curls atop her head, thickly coiling around her fingers when they buried a bit too deep. Was it her hair..? Her head turned away, catching some other mobile groups of soldiers. All of them had such light complexions and straight hair... Her head tipped down to her herself, taking in the darker coloration across her thin hand and longer fingers. Was it that?

Why was she getting so worked up about this?! Did it matter what they thought!? A mildly aggravated sigh escaped her lips as she turned back to the door, ready to hurry Lynette along once more and clear those wandering thoughts from her mind, "Lynn-"

"Yup." The medium-brown haired good in place, directly affront Ada in a way that caused her to immediately flinch back in response.

"When-"

"When you were daydreaming..." Lynette casually responded, unfortunately only managing to catch the edge of Ada's wrath as a result, "I wasn't daydreaming! I was waiting for you!"

"I know, sheesh. You're so tempermental this morning," Lynette's voice seemed to edge a slightly teasing tone to it lost under the guise of a pout, though this subtle jab only seemed to cause Ada to flare up once more. Lynette paid the bristling no attention, only combing her fingers loosely through her own locks before tossing it haphazardly over her shoulder, "So how do I look?"

Though with a less-than-impressed expression, Ada's eyes took a quick skim, noting the outfit was relatively the same, despite her friend having a more curvy body-type, rounder in the bottom half, thinner in the mid-section, and evening back out to an hourglass. It seemed like with every moment climbing, Ada's expression grew less and less intrigued, before she finally reached the large, expectant eyes of Lynette and simply responded, "Short as always."

"Wow, thanks," Lynette scoffed, hand pushing the door closed behind her before hopping over the few steps and directly down onto the ground, "I'll have you know I grew!"

"Really? A whole milimeter?" Ada scoffed, following promptly down the stairs before the two began to head to their destination with brisk, long strides, "I'm so happy for you."

A sour expression fell to Lynette's face, lips quirking disinterestedly to the side before her narrowed brown hues fell bitterly against her companion, "Nevermind." She said no more, only feigning her casual dismissal before pulling ahead to try out-walking the darker complected girl.

"Hey! You can't out-run me with short legs like that!" Suddenly the difference between 5'3 and 5'8 seemed massive as the two moved ahead with their childish race, coming to a stop only when reaching assembly.

Many of the other trainees were already present, mingling and talking in hush amongst themselves before the instructor was due to arrive. As what seemed to occur just before, it seemed a few wandering eyes fell in their direction, usually complements of passing glances and mildly interested gazes that would occasionally fall into recurring stares.

Ada fidgeted uncomfortably, lips beginning to purse together whilst her fingers hesitantly intertwined with a curl near her eyes. She twisted it around her finger, pulling gently to let it fall back into her face with the others, "Hey..." She began in a hush, head slowly shifting and lowering to her friend's direction whilst she did so, "Am I the only one feeling a little uncomfortable..?" The wayward stares and whispers could really do it, couldn't they? It felt as if she were an attraction of a street show the way they looked so confused and awe-struck: certainly Lynette felt the same?

"Whatcha mean?" The brunette absent-mindedly replied, glancing up with casual arms locked behind her back and bouncing from heel to toe and back again, "Uncomfortable how?"

Ada's brow furrowed, if not twitched a bit, becoming completely bland, ' _She didn't even notice? So freaking typical.'_ Seeing as she would have to spell it out for her, "I mean-"

"Excuse me."

Interrupting the conversation was a voice so calm and collected that the chances of hearing it could have very well been obstructed by the wind. It seemed only a select few were even giving enough attention to be able to accurately notice that a woman had appeared on the scene.

She stood at the center of the two separated groups of cadets, her platinum blond hair pulled back into a thick, low braid that loosely descended to the lower portion of her back. Her eyes scanned the group as if making mental notes of each and every present cadet's face, and although it couldn't quite be seen behind the rather thick lenses of her glasses, her hazel eyes held a certain frigidity behind the surface warmth they presented.

This woman, who couldn't have been much taller than Lynette, stood calmly with her hands behind her back, her fingers occasionally sliding up to the frames of her spectacles to adjust their place on her nose. With a light rapping of her fist against her chest, she softly cleared her throat, "I said... Excuse me." It wasn't much louder than the first.

Lynette and Ada exchanged conflicting glances, the former holding an awkward wonder and confusion, whilst the latter seemed more off-put and concerned. Could this fragile-looking woman really control this group of cadets..?

" _I SAID._ _ **LISTEN UP.**_ " The tone of her voice changed along with a far heightened volume, her back stiffening, as she coldly glanced to each member present before her. The slight rasp and hostile demeanor snapped the attention of the present members, all of their heads swiveling to her spot in an attempt to catch sight of what could have possibly uttered such a loud demand. What they found was something that looked like it could hardly raise its voice, let alone command anyone.

And so it began.

The feather light whispers began to carry through, mutters and murmurs reaching her ears as all seemed to be asking, commenting, or assuming around the same topic. This was their instructor?

Her boots made gentle imprints against the dirt as she walked the length of the divide between the two groups, her eyes shifting from left to right, sizing everyone up. If her words weren't enough, catching a gaze from the woman's cold, challenging eyes, was enough to send most of the confident rebels down into a silent hush.

Abruptly, she stopped.

Shifting her feet in the dirt, her head tilted appraisingly as her eyes wandered the length of her spectators, who now all seemed to be giving their undivided attention. "I see I'm going to have to teach you how to follow simple directions before all else." She murmured, just loud enough for those in the front rows to catch wind of her self-made comment.

"You." She pointed, all of the members watching he finger and following her line of sight before it fell into the third row upon a lax boy with messy hair nearing the color of ginger. The fair skinned, lean boy let his blue eyes wander down, falling upon the accusatory finger of his instructor with a brow raised. As if uncaring, he casually folded his arms across his shoulders looking at her with a clear lack of respect in his eyes.

"Yeah?" He responded blatantly, tipping his head to the side and even shifting his head slightly up as if to look down his nose at her.

Unable to mask her facial expression, Ada's finger recoiled to her lip at the disrespectful reply, eyes growing slightly wide, but quickly evading the boy as his eyes likewise reached out to meet hers. ' _Shoot.'_

"Since you seem so confident in yourself, I assume you already know everything you need to," The instructor blatantly stated, stepping a bit further, to which the other cadets cleared a path for her to do so -all taking moments to try peering behind them to see what would unfold.

A light bead of sweat formed on the blue-eyed boy's face, his lips hooking up as if to answer with a wisecrack, but it appeared he hadn't the opportunity-

"If that's the case..." The woman casually began, her serene expression contrasted by the sheer demented darkness twisting up in her eyes, daring him to speak out of line once more, "Why don't you teach us what you know? I'm sure it would be no task to allow you the opportunity to combat a titan right now." Her head tilted, looking up at him so strongly that it was impossible to claim her words false, "I wonder how long you would last before being devoured." Her tranquil nature only added to her seemingly sadistic inquisition, causing a sheer exudation of intimidation.

As her boot touched the ground affront him in her single-stepped advance, the boy withdrew a step subconsciously, as if his instinct were insisting a retreat.

Seeing this, the woman backed off, eyes becoming heavy-lidded once more with an accomplished disinterest, "What's your name, cadet?"

The boy seemed to hesitate, eyes narrowing sharply out of an apparent distaste before he finally spoke up, "Jannik Brandt." He stepped forward to regain the step he'd lost moments ago, and dropped his eyes by his side, standing just slightly more at attention.

"I see, cadet Brandt. I'd like you to linger following the assembly." With that, she, with arms folded behind her back, once more turned to reach the divide.

"I apologize, cadets, for the rude interruption. You may all thank Brandt for this running over. You may not even have time for breakfast." Despite no sound indicating it, one could almost feel the tension amongst the gathered trainees grow a little tense, but this moment in silence was short-lived as the instructor found her way to the center, clearing her throat softly, which, this time, drew all eyes obediently to her.

"I will be the head instructor of the Western Division Training Corps - and while here will be referred to as Keller. Is that understood?" The lot of them simultaneously uttered out their agreement before falling silent once more.

' _She's a little harsh, isn't she..?'_ Ada mused, still evading gazing across the way at the still clearly heated Jannik. She was sure he had noticed the way she'd reacted, and as a result, was positive that that was one face that she would want to be completely avoiding if she knew what was good for her. That aside, however, her eyes were now fixated on Keller, the woman that would be their instructor. She could appreciate that she was soft-spoken, certainly, but the sadistic side of her that had seeped out was less than comforting.

In contrast, Lynette's eyes seemed to be gleaming with a certain level of respect or even admiration. ' _Gisela Keller.'_ She ran the name through her mind over again, as she had been hearing it quite a bit over the past few weeks. In preparation for the decision to attend the camp, she had certainly done her research. Despite her demeanor and underwhelming stature, asking about Gisela amongst the locals of the Krolva District of Wall Rose, usually got you a range of responses. Most of them dread and some people just didn't want to mention her at all.

' _She previously operated in the Military Police before transferring over to the Survey Corp. in her final years before retirement.''_ Lynette recalled. She had been utilizing this knowledge to try getting a good idea of what this woman was like, but none of her activity or track records amongst the other titan slayers or tactician ability could even begin to compare to one bite of information Lynette received, ' _A previous hand in interrogation units. A sadistic genius under the guise of this innocent woman's body.'_

A small gleam shot through Lynette's eyes, causing Ada to develop a slight bead of distress sweat down her cheek. This was getting out of hand already.

"Ma'am!" A seemingly plucky girl spoke up as addressed. She stood up straight, voice soft and attempting to climb to a louder volume in order to be efficiently heard, only to fall short and crumbled into the light airiness of her base voice.

Keller casually adjusted her glasses, catching a gleam through one lens while staring blankly to this girl, "Identify yourself."

"Nadine Klein, Ma'am!" She responded back, attempting to forego her own hesitance.

Keller's sharp eyes bored into the young blonde, causing Nadine's fronted confidence to begin crumbling visibly, and said instructor hadn't even opened her mouth yet. The woman turned fully, granting the petite female her undivided attention. "What's your purpose?"

Nadine's blue-green eyes wavered, traveling to the side, then returning back up to Keller's own hazel orbs in a sluggish crawl. "I just want to make some use of myself. If that is by assisting humanity, then I will do my best!" Her words came out clean and proper, annunciating each word clearly and precisely. Her eyes remained hopeful as she awaited Keller's response, swallowing slightly to try easing her throat, which was drying painfully and at a rapid pace.

"Does that sound satisfying to you?" The woman simply replied, turning her back momentarily to the girl.

Nadine's fingers interlocked together, juggling pressure back and forth between her hands to evade fidgeting her stressed nerves away, "I...I'm sorry..?"

"Throwing your life away for an uncertain cause. Readying to kill yourself without even knowing if it would be worth it. Standing there and staring down into the jaws of a titan, and face excruciating levels of pain defying the imagination... for people you don't know. Did you make it sound noble enough for you to actually believe it?"

By this point the small girl was forming the shapes with her mouth, only to find no words coming out. How did she respond? The woman was practically ripping her aim for service up right in front of her.

"It's a shame someone may be delivering such impersonal words to your grieving family."

As the instructor made her way further down the divide, the blonde, mouth slightly agape could only stare, attempting to shake it off as though her eyes weren't becoming a bit glossier for a moment there.

"You." Keller pointed next, causing Ada's entire body to run with shivers, only to find the instructor's finger had bypassed her own position, falling instead upon the boy directly behind her. The black haired boy glanced up, calm and collected as he took notice of the woman approaching.

"Harlan Alscher." He calmly replied, fully aware of what was to be coming next once he was put in the spotlight.

"Purpose." She demanded blatantly. Though she appeared unchanged, a very slight alteration in her tone implied her newfound intrigue. She waited by, though waiting needed not take long.

"If humankind insists on being ignorant about the threats in front of them, they'll choose death. The Survey Corp can provide me the chance to help figure out what these things really are, and how to get rid of them." He spoke with not a portion of his emotions out of place - each word smoother than the last and carried on his own unperturbed bed of tranquility.

Keller tipped her head, slight intrigue running through her expression. "The Survey Corp. Going out there is asking to die. Have you even seen a titan?" It was an empty question - prodding for an answer she already knew.

"Several." He replied, never hesitating nor missing a beat. Those emptied eyes. Despite their light, grassy hue, they still seemed dark. Of course he had seen a titan, there was no mistaken that. These were undoubtedly the eyes of not just a witness, but of a survivor.

"And what makes you certain you'll survive the Survey Corp?"

"Nothing. There's a possibility I may die, but if I die with no accomplishments, then I guess you just weren't a good instructor."

Ada's eyes strained as she desperately attempted masking her inward feelings and reactions to the response. However, she came to notice that unlike with Jannik, this boy wasn't gifted with harsh speech nor disciplinary action. Instead, Instructor Keller just seemed to... walk away?

The platinum-blond woman turned and walked, away, same pace and relaxed posture as normal, though she said nothing else to Harlan. Very faintly, coiled up in the corners, the woman seemed to continue on, appearing rather amused as her covert smirk spread across her thin lips.

' _The cadets truly are interesting this time around... What fun this will be.'_

 **A/N: Yes, the Western Division. After some digging around I found out there are actually like 4 divisions for training soldiers, and there used to be 8 before the fall of Wall Maria. SO THIS BECAME A THING. Since I have basically free-range. The only other mentioned division was the Northern one, and all of the mainb characters are from the Southern one.**

 **SO BAM HERE WE ARE STARTING NEW WITH SOME GOOD OL' WESTERN STUFFS.**

 **THANK YOU FOR READING HOPE YOU ENJOYED KBYE.**


	3. Chapter 3: Purpose

**A/N: Hey! Updates may not remain this quick and such, but here we go! Training Corp may go on for a little while just to establish everything and everyone and help me to also get more comfortable with the characters and relationships, but don't worry. This will indeed flow into the action and divisional parts of Attack on Titan. Thank you for reading!**

"It's probably for like... Pressure training, or stress endurance..." Lynette mused. Her tanned fingers interlocked within one another, providing the surface between them for her chin to settle. She had been like this for quite a little while, staring off into the distance of what appeared to be a gathering room in the camp as if nothing in particular could disrupt her wandering thought process.

"Or maybe it's for nothing at all..? Seemed like she was just kind of enjoying herself to me..." Ada took her seat at her companion's side, slipping between the gap formed by the connected table and bench-styled seating spots.

As the curly haired girl took her seat, her casual expression tightened upon seeing Lynette staring directly into her eyes at a completely uncomfortable distance. "Uah! Lynn!" Swiftly raising her hand, the girl reacted with a flick of her wrist, delivering an abrupt smack to the top of the girl's head, "Don't do that!" She shouted in reaction.

The brunette huffed, pulling away to rub the top of her head, "She's a tactician and a former interrogation head." Her eyes glimmered once more with that earlier seen stream of admiration causing a sparkle through her light brown eyes, "Nothing she does is for _no reason_. People in an intellectual position think about these things. They're careful planners and they look for _something_ to use to propose some sort of beneficial effect or pull out some sort of result! It's amazing!"

After a moment of lingering silence, the dark haired girl stared down once more at her shorter companion, a clearly blankening expression across her face before she rose up and offered another swift smack to the top of Lynette's head.

"Hey!" Ready to protest, Lynette's attention span was directed elsewhere as the brunt of the spottily entering cadets filtering through the door up on the left-hand side of the internal perimeter stairs.

"Hey, that Jannik guy isn't with them..." Lynette quietly noted, unknowingly causing Ada's hand to retreat to her own arm, rubbing it awkwardly whilst breaking eye-contact, "Maybe that isn't necessarily a bad thing..."

"Are you... afraid of him..?"

"I'm not afraid of hi-" Cutting off the words Ada was about to protest with, came the sound of a heavy hand slamming onto the surface of the table they sat with. This movement caused Ada to jolt abruptly, her head snatching up to face the pair of hands that had just assaulted their poor tabletop.

Jannik!? WAS IT JANNIK!?

Oh.

The hands were to soft and feminine looking, despite the way her fingers seemed a little rough, and her nails quite choppy and partially cracked in places. Reaching up, they would come across a girl with sandy brown hair, messily tied back into a side ponytail in a way that her unkempt locks poked out of the bands that they were restrained with. "Hey!" She spoke up abruptly, though instead of waiting for an answer, her green eyes quickly jumped between the two of them before she opened her mouth again. "Hey hey!" She pointed, her index landing towards Ada, "Your skin is so dark!"

The two girl stared ahead at the girl that they recognized from the assembly as cadet Rheta Faust. She wasn't... the most poised with her approach to answering questions, but on the bright side... she seemed pretty immune to the stress imposed upon them by Instructor Keller. Either because she was...brave..? Or perhaps just too dense to truly recognize it...

Either way, the twosome stared blankly upon the girl. It was an impossible manner of which they became dull and underwhelmed by the question, silent as if not knowing how to respond.

"Uhhh..." Ada trailed off, furrowing a brow. How is she supposed to answer that..? How is she not shy about asking this..? _Why doesn't Lynette have to deal with this?!_

At that very moment, the sandy haired girl's head was slammed into the tabletop roughly, a more fair complected hand seeming to be the reason for the sudden assault. "I deeply apologize about her. She never knows what to say out of her mouth." Andreas Sieger, the cinnamon haired male that had somehow managed to catch the evil eye from the instructor after trying to make a suave recovery on his 'purpose' answer. Apparently Keller didn't appreciate someone attempting to offer up their entire life story and projected future goals of domestic house life as a purpose.

"She didn't offend you girls, did she?" He glanced up, light, caramel-brown eyes glimmering with a semblance of overdramatic intrigue. One could very-nearly see the sparkles that floated around him and the shimmers that poured from his shining eyes.

"No we're fine, thanks." Lynette casually spoke up, seeing as Ada had withdrawn into silence at the arrival of the new cadets.

"Hey!" Rheta spoke up, prying his hand from her head, then pointing accusingly, "Don't listen to that! He's just doing that 'cause you're girls!" The freckled girl folded her arms, raising her foot into Andreas's side in an attempt to push the male aside, but it only resulted in an apparent argument between the two.

"Wow, they're great," Lynette spoke up, peering over to Ada who hardly shared the same level of excitement for their 'new friends'. Seeing this, however, the tan-skinned girl offered a gentle elbow to her friend's arm a few times, "Hah? Hah? Great, right? Right, Ada? Huh?"

"Shut up!" She hissed in replied whisper, raising her hand to shove Lynette in response. As the room began to fill more, to the tune of conversation and both Andreas and Rheta chewing each other out, however, Ada began to let her gaze wander around the room. A few of the faces could easily be pointed out from the assembly - a lot of them were pretty memorable, after all.

Specifically her eyes caught sight of Harlan, who was sitting off to himself. He seemed to be absorbed in his own thoughts, and spent more time looking out of the window than focusing on any of the present members.

Nadine, contrarily, was nowhere to be found. After such a traumatic experience at the assembly, Ada could understand the need to be alone.

The only other face she didn't see-

"Hey," Lynette spoke up to the bickering duo, her finger raised and her eyes lit by a sincere curiousity, "Where's that Jannik guy?"

WHY!? Why was that necessary to ask!?

"The redhead guy?" Rheta gently contemplated, dragging her fingers through the tousled surface of her ponytail, triggering the sounds of hair strands popping and breaking from the pure roughness and thickness of her tangled locks. "Uhhhmmm... I know he stayed behind after assembly, but I dunno if I've seen him since then."

Andreas folded his arms, crooking his head thoughtfully to the side, "I heard she was setting up punishments for him. Knowing her, he's probably gonna wind up maimed somehow."

"Oh, that asshole?" One male spoke up, a grin on his face as he kicked his feet up against one of the emptier benches, "Guy's got stable duty." Despite the way he spoke with a pitying tone, the crooked grin on his face alluded to the idea that he hardly felt bad for him at all. He pushed his fingers through his medium length hair, ruffling it messily as he laughed. "Probably gonna be tossing hay and shoveling shit for the next week at least."

"Silvan," A younger sounding voice spoke up. A young brown haired boy that seemed completely at odds with the way the former male took such pleasure in relaying the details of punishment, "You don't have to sound so happy about it..."

"If he wants to act like a jackass, he'll get a-"

Lynette spoke up abruptly, large eyes lithe with protest, "That's not fair!" She spoke up, hitting her fist gently against the top of the table, "He acts disrespectful and he gets the chance to play with a stable full of horses?! That's utter bullshit!"

Ada stared ahead, dazed almost at the sudden outburst from her clearly idiotic friend. Did she really just...

"He's cleaning up after them..." The black haired male, Silvan, muttered, quirking a disinterested brow.

"I really don't think it matters much to her..." Ada quietly reinforced, though with her chin in her hand, her mind began to wander. Stable duty sounded like a pretty big job... And even though dinner had rolled around, he still hadn't come back - they all missed breakfast, and he'd missed lunch too.

"Some people don't mind hard work!" The smaller boy spoke up, being called, if they all remembered correctly, Milo Werner. Though his response was immediately greeted by the large hand of Silvan encompassing his face to silence him.

"If she didn't mind hardwork, she wouldn't be running to the Military Police," The black haired male scoffed.

"Oh no." Lynette raised her hand, placing it over her chest, "Ada. Help, I feel attacked." The brunette's idiocy caused Ada to briskly roll her eyes, but seeing as there was no threat, she raised up from her seat, picking up a couple of pieces of whole foods in her hands - things that could be easily transported, like a potato and a portion of bread.

"Ada, whatcha doin'?" Lynette prompted, seeing this action.

"Turning in early? Stowing away food?" Rheta likewise inquired, placing her hands on the table and leaning forward with a distressed pout, "If you can't eat it, just hand it here and I'll take care of it - don't stow it! It won't taste as good that way."

Ada's brow twitched slightly as she lifted her foot over the bench to retract back and away, "I'm not stowing it away. I just want a little change of scenery..."

Lynette watched Ada as she walked away, her lips slowly beginning to poke out into a suspicious '3' shape as she did. "She's such a little softie~," She amusedly cooed quietly to herself, seeing her ease through the middle of the room before exiting out through the main door. After the door closed, the brunette's head slowly rotated back towards Silvan, causing little Milo to quickly abandon the former's side.

"Now, what the Hell'd you say about me joining the Military Police?" Surely it wasn't sheerly out of being confrontational. Lynette was genuinely curious about his opinion, but asking in such an aggressive manner was bound to cause a fun little debate of sorts, wasn't it?

"It's running from work!" The dark haired male scoffed, steel-blue eyes rolling as if it were the most obvious response in the world. "Everyone knows the only reason you'd take that branch is to live the cozy life."

"You done?" The brunette prompted, brow quirking slightly. Feeling a little confident, seeing as she wouldn't be scolded for her behavior by her friend, Lynette rose to sit on the edge of the table, kicking up her feet in a cross in which they hung over the edge, and layering her arms against her legs. "Look here, you little shit." She spoke up, despite the clear discrepancy in size -she being around 5'3, and Silvan standing at roughly about 5'10.

"The Military Police is giving the Survey Corp a lot of shit. It's making it hard for them to build up a suitable reputation among the people, and said people are feeling less inclined to go wasting their tax money on a branch they don't have faith in to begin with." She interlocked her fingers, letting her two indexes press together at the pads and keep straight against her lips. "If the Military Police changed their viewpoint on the Survey Corp, everyone else just may follow suit. They have a lot of backing, after all... But doing things as they are now... It's like trying to build a pretty roof with a weak foundation."

Silvan's brow weakly rose, a lack of interest making itself clear over his face, "You wanna change the Military Police from the inside. That's even more naive than I thought..."

"Let her have her dreams!" Milo protested, soft green eyes glimmering in protest, "You have no right to say she can't!"

"I'm not saying she can't - I'm saying she's stupid," Silvan scoffed.

"We're going to get along so well..." Lynette trailed quietly, catching the ear of Rheta, whom had kept her ears open to the conversation despite swiping the scraps from Andreas's plate. "At least your goal kind of makes sense." The sand-haired girl spoke up, "I just wanted to get away from home for a while."

"Keep with that mentality, and you may be away from home permanently," Silvan spoke up yet again, triggering Milo's frantic flailing, "Stop it, please!"

As their loud conversation began to continue, outside the door, Ada moved away from it. Her eyes rose, then slowly rolled, having heard Lynette getting down to business. She shook her head slightly, turning to walk in quiet steps, bypassing the couple of members that lingered around the small outer deck, discussing the events of the day. As she descended the few stairs, she felt her body collide with something, causing her to jump back, startled, and direct her attention to it.

"Ah!" Ada bent down, looking to the large blue-green eyes that stared back up at her. "I'm sorry, I just didn't see you there!" She quickly stiffened, attempting to rapidly clarify what she meant, "Because I wasn't really paying attention!" She added - not because she's short. Not because she's short. Not because she's short.

"It's okay..." Nadine softly spoke up, taking Ada's offered hand to be pulled back up to her feet. Her hands lowered to the long, faded blue skirt of her casual clothing, "I wasn't paying much attention either."

Ada reached out her hand, dusting it down the skirt to try assisting in fixing it up, though her brow furrowed upon coming in contact with the material. It was beyond soft - and the quality felt like it could hardly be real in comparison to the kinds of things that she and Lynette would wear back in their Wall Rose home. The feel of the surface was like Heaven, and even getting one's fingers further intertwined to the creases felt just as comfortable. To make a skirt out of this? Someone should make bedding out of this-

"U-um..." The blonde quietly trailed, seeing as the taller girl was now literally petting her skirt.

"Uah," Quickly snatching her hand back, Ada took a large step back, grateful that color couldn't accurately register through her skin complexion, "S-sorry... about.. that."

Luckily, Nadine found amusement in this, laughing softly into her hand with her voice so quiet it could hardly be heard. "Were you coming out to get fresh air..?" She inquired, tilting her head patiently as she waited for a response.

"Something like that..." Ada began. She let her eyes wander subtly, attempting to scan the general area out in front of them before falling upon what appeared to be the stables.

Catching sight of this, the petite girl offered another slight smile, interlocking her fingers together, "I think... maybe we had the same thing in mind... Would you mind if I accompanied you?"

"Oh, no.. Not not at all." Her dark eyes scanned the girl affront her, so many clear mental notes appearing in her mind. It was so easy to normally overlook details that seemed too subtle to worry about, but in this case they were so prominent it was a little hard to overlook. Nadine's stature and demeanor, her soft voice and such. Not to mention... ' _She speaks so properly...'_

"It was Ada, wasn't it?" The small girl asked as the two began their trek. "I heard you speak during this morning's assembly. Do you really not have a goal..?"

In response, the tall girl locked her fingers into her curls, lips quirking slightly. She'd been so overwhelmed from the feeling of pure murderous intent that came from their instructor, that it was hard to get a grip on what she wanted to say without stammering. Couple that with her disdain for being put on the spot, her low tolerance for aggression, and a genuine uncertainty regarding her fate as a cadet, and she really could only respond with a flustered 'I don't know!'. The whole ordeal was rather embarrassing.

In response to Nadine, however, who tolerantly awaited an answer, despite the long pause, Ada sighed heftily. "I have a goal... I think. I..." Her lips upturned into a displeased pout, once more attempting to find her words before continuing. "I came here with a friend. She wanted to join the Training Corp. really bad... I respect her choice, and everything, and I know she'd be careful, but I didn't want her to go alone."

In hindsight, seeing as the Military Police option would only be available to the top 10, it sounded a bit silly to her. She wanted to keep Lynette safe, but at the same time, she hadn't any idea if either of the two would make it to graduate in the top ranks, let alone both of them.

"I think that's very noble." Nadine quietly assured, focused straight ahead, rather than turning to make eyecontact. "You shouldn't feel so ashamed."

' _Noble?'_ Flattery was a pretty good way to her heart, so long as it was sincere. She placed her hand on her cheek, seeing the compliment as a little dose of motivation from what was appearing to be a potential friend. Snapping out of her momentarily giddiness, however, the dark-eyed girl pushed back into reality for a time, turning her attention to her company, "What about you? Is there... something else to your goal?"

"Ahhh..." She laughed quietly into her lightly closed fist in response, shifting her gaze away to the stable that was growing near, "I'm sure there would be... I just don't know very much about this kind of thing, so it's hard to imagine a purpose..." The answer was vague. As if not giving any time to seek further into what she meant, however, Nadine moved ahead, motioning up to the stable, "Here it is!" She rushed up to the opening, slowing only upon coming to more soft dirt, thanks to the padding of horses around for exercise. She took a little extra care in navigating through it, and upon coming up to it, fastened her hands over her nose and mouth, "That isn't pleasant..."

"It's a stable," Ada reiterated, a bead of sweat down her cheek, "what did you really expect..?"

Nadine's form trembled with lack of willpower, the smell clearly growing to be too much for her, though she bitterly fought the battle with bravery and valor.

"Do you see him?" Ada inquired carefully.

The blonde retracted, peering around and managing to quell her quivering momentarily. She nodded, removing one hand to wave Ada over, so that the two could peek around the corner of the stable and catch sight of Jannik doing his job with visible contempt.

"Maybe we shouldn't approach him..."

Nadine took this suggestion with a look of determination, scanning around and seemingly spinning aimlessly in circles before holding her breath. She gripped her own bag, emptying the contents into a formed pocket in her gently risen skirt, and removing everything but the food she had brought. Holding it up to Ada, the curly haired girl added her own food in as well.

"How will you even be sure he'll see it if we leave i-"

Ada's question was abruptly severed as the small blonde reared back, throwing the bag into Jannik's line of sight. Then, gripping Ada's wrist, the two shuffled behind the other corner of the stable, taking cover from the redhead's sights.

He stepped out, looking around for a second, then picking up the back by the strap. "Hello?" He inquired, a bit of that hostile edge reappearing in his voice as if it was just his natural baseline by now. With no answer, he hooked his arm around the bag, dragging it open by the top flap so that he wouldn't have to touch the contents with his dirtied hands. Food...

His blue eyes took to scanning once more, wrapping the strap haphazardly around his wrist before taking a couple of steps forward. He looked out, then around, completely ignorant to Ada and Nadine who were both taking refuge behind the corner, covering one another's mouths. Totally more efficient that way.

At the sound of his heavy boots retreating back into the stable, however, the both of them went rushing down the hill, back down towards the building form whence they had come.

Unfortunately, it seemed in their secret fleeing, they were completely oblivious to the open, window-like gap in the stable that could give Jannik a full view of them from the interior of the building. "Idiots." He casually muttered, only to receive a somewhat aggressive bump to the side of his face from one of the horses. His head shifted quickly to the horse's snout, brow raising, "Who the hell asked you?" And a blowing snort from the horse to solidify it.

"Brandt."

The freckled boy stiffened, turning his head quickly in the direction of the approaching Keller, to which he turned to her at attention. God, he hated it, but he had been very intimately introduced to the punishments that follow if he didn't act as instructed.

"You did well in the stable. Took much less than time that I had initially expected, even." She kept direct eyecontact with the boy, nodding in what could almost be considered approval if one knew no better.

"Yeah well," He muttered in response, hooking his arm back more casually onto the back of the horse, "It's not hard."

"I would assume so, from one that spent most of his life as a farmhand."

Jannik's eyes widened slightly, alert and surprised, through trying to stifle the latter. He had had about three interactions with this woman - and as far as he knew, they didn't have any sort of files on the cadets. What kind of shit...

"I'll cut your duties to three days if you perform with this level of expertise." The platinum blonde woman turned on her heel, turning her back as she began to leave him be. He seemed grateful enough, but he didn't say anything to allude to it. While a good ways away, she haphazardly raised her arm, waving it nonchalantly, "Take a break. Eat your food."

A twinge of dread became visible on the redhead's face. The moment he'd heard Keller coming, he'd unwound the straps from his wrists and arms, dropping the bag behind both his legs and the horses'. Even if she had managed to see that, how the Hell did she know it was food? How long was she there?!

He reached down, slowly picking up the bag and bringing it to his chest suspiciously. "So damn creepy," He muttered to himself.

 **A/N: Ohhhh, Instructor Keller! When making her, I really wanted to make a character lightly akin to Shadis in terms of how harsh she is, but I wanted to make her less visibly threatening. I think a tranquil demeanor can be played out for eeriness really easily, since it would make everything that much scarier if the character ever experiences actual anger or fear.**

 **I also am quite fond of these cadets, but a couple of my friends that look over the chapters before I post them were constantly getting all twisted up, because they were afraid the characters will die in the future. LOL.**

 **Let me know what you think! Review if you'd like, follow if you'd please, and fav if you'd wish!**

 **Thank you, my melodies!**


	4. Chapter 4: Hand to Hand

With the sun hanging above at its highest point, there seemed not to be a cloud in the sky atop the training camp. It had been some time, allowing everyone to mingle in their own sense, managing to get a bit more acquainted. Yes, under Keller's watchful eye, it seemed everything was going just-

 _ **Thud**_

Smacking the ground roughly with a heavy slam, the dust from the dry ground seemed to lift into the air. The poor victim of this assault tipped his head back, eyes blank as his breath caught from the sheer unadulterated force he suffered through.

"Andreas!" The sandy-headed girl griped, clenching her fist and stomping her booted foot, "That was so weak! I didn't even slam you that hard!" She groaned in complaint. Rheta's arms hung down in front of her, limp and dangling out of clear bemusement. "Come on, get up already!" Despite her protests, it seemed like Andreas wasn't interested in getting back up again.

"Is..." Lynette began hesitantly, tilting her head and running her fingers awkwardly around the side of her neck, "He's alive, right?"

Rheta placed her hand casually on her hips, "Yeah, he's fine, I think."

Ignoring the apparent uncertainty given by the freckled girl, the lot of them shifted their attention to some of the other sparring matches occurring before them.

"Disarming," Silvan spoke aloud, contemplating the way in which he would like to be going about this training. It shouldn't have been too complex, as the instructions were relatively simple, requiring more in the way of tact and skill than having the advantage. After all, in this particular situation... Hang on. ' _I don't even have to put this much thought into it.'_ He stared blandly across the way at his 'armed sparring partner'.

None other than Nadine, who despite having a knife in her hand, was trembling like a newborn fawn.

"This should be pretty easy for you," Silvan spoke up blandly, literally taking this time to pull back his silkier, black medium-length hair into low ponytail to keep it out of the way, "You've got the knife Nadine. You literally have the advantage."

Despite this, she stared up with round, terrified eyes, lips quivering and body trembling as she clutched the _fake_ dagger between her unsteady hands, "M-mhm..." She took a moment, steeling her confidence just enough to be able to stare across the way at him - at least a semblance of confidence in her wavering eyes. Her stance widened slightly, as her opponent did as well.

Staring across the way at one another, there was a brief moment of silence, before Nadine's swiftly took off in his direction, clutching the knife and aiming to thrust it forward.

In response, Silvan's eyes tracked her movements, one fist gripping together tightly whilst the other was open flat to try intercepting the knife. The goal was simply to knock her arm down where his free hand could push her arm back around her body. She was certainly petite enough for it to work. Widening his stance for stability, he stared straight ahead in wait, only to find that the moment he raised his fist, all movement from Nadine ceased.

She crouched down into herself, knife facing ahead and her head being conealed within her arms. If one listened -not that it require one to listen too hard-, they could even hear the sound of her high pitched whining.

Silvan's expression drooped, his arm falling to his side, whilst the other wedged into his pocket: Thoroughly unimpressed.

"N-Nadine..." Ada trailed, a hefty bead of sweat against the side of her cheek.

"Mmn...!" She seemed to murmur out in a higher pitched whine, as if uttering some sort of battle cry, but a lot more of the cry than the battle.

Silvan reached his hands casually down, taking his hands and hers and loosening her grip on the knife manually, just to take it into his hands and accept the knife from between them. "There." He casually responded, raising a brow and shoving her onto the ground for good measure.

"Ahua..." Her eyes comically filled with tears as she sat in anguish down on the ground.

"This is too pathetic..." Silvan trailed, rubbing his forehead then letting his fingertips slide down to pinch at the inner corners of his eyes.

"Why can't I hit you damn it?!" Jannik could be heard shouting out of frustration, knife in hand as he made his jabs at Milo. The smaller, shorter brown haired boy took over opportunity of an extended attack to weave in between the strikes, making use of his small stature for swift and easy movements. "The point of this exercise is to disarm! Not run around like a pain in the ass!" Jannik, however, was unimpressed.

While turning to deliver another strike, Milo seemed to take this moment to realize how much more slowly this was ushered out compared to his previous attempts. Seeing as Jannik had apparently gotten tired, he could assume that his legs weren't operating at 100 either.

This time around, Milo swung his body, mustering up as much momentum as he could to try throwing his foot into the back of Jannik's leg.

"Damn it, I knew you'd try that, you little rat!" Withdrawing his free hand, Jannik turned his body sideways, making a wide arc to grip Milo's ankle, successfully managing to whip the boy back down towards the ground.

Large green eyes staring up innocently, Milo slowly sat up, setting a hand against his knee and leaning forward to limber up. Slowly peering up, the young boy raised his other hand, holding the knife prop between his middle finger and thumb. In the time Milo had taken Jannik's dwindling stamina as an opportunity, he'd feigned his main goal as being an attempt to take the redhead down. When in reality, he was distracting him so he would react to being attacked, rather than focusing on keeping the knife in his hand.

"Not bad..." Jannik muttered, snatching the smaller Milo up to his feet, "But I still coulda killed you if this was a real life situation."

"If you'd caught me!" Milo likewise retorted, though more in jest than in serious competitive spirit.

"Okay... Remember the objective... Disarm the guy... Don't think about how scary he is..." Ada repeated near-silently to herself, trying to psych herself into this training goal. While it should have been easy not to let nerves get to oneself, if they were, well... anyone but Nadine, Ada had a certain gift, or maybe it should have been outlined more as a half-gift, half-curse. With an imagination as vividly overactive as hers, trying to distinguish the difference between real-life and fiction was a hard distinction.

Her hands trembled slightly, and she attempted to raise herself up and ease forward just a bit.

Her opponent, Harlan, merely watched, completely still-like and far from bothered, as if he was already completely prepared for everything she could have come at him with. With the knife in his hand, he moved the hilt around his palm, getting a tight grip on it, then adjusting himself to prepare a rush.

' _Please don't let me embarrass myself out here,'_ Her dread wrapped itself up in her head, manifesting through her straining eyes that attempted to block out her free-roaming internal fear.

As the dark haired boy went full-forward, raising his hand with the knife prop in place, coming directly at her as if it were to reach the point of her nose at any moment.

"Gh!" That was fast. That was a little faster than she was anticipating, and way faster than she had hoped. Raising her hands, her fingers moved up as if to grip at his incoming wrist, palm and other arm attempting to block her own face. That was adrenaline going crazy, and she couldn't exactly pin point his current speed. Hell, she couldn't even pinpoint his current location. Was he just going so fast that she couldn't see it, or- Wait!

' _No! I closed my eyes!'_ An instinctive flinch, that she cursed in occurring, and quickly reopened her eyes, only to feel the dulled point of the prop touch into the middle of her back.

"And you're dead." Harlan calmly remarked, slowly reaching over her shoulder to place the knife in her hand, "It's your turn now."

Ada's dark eyes strained to prevent the comical gloss of water in her embarrassment, though her lips still upturned, forming a deep pout that went hand-in-hand with her attempt at tear-restraint. And people were looking, weren't they? She felt a heaviness, supplemented by the cold shiver and raise of goosebumps. The one thing she didn't want was to be embarrassed.

Turning around to speak to Harlan, Ada's eyes abruptly noticed him step away at the corner. It was a subtle gesture that happened so quickly, most could have overlooked. What was he stepping away from?

Her head turned, and directly affront her line of sight, came some poor cadet that had been slung in her general direction. Immediately upon contact, the two of them when soaring back, stumbling and crashing into the ground roughly. "Oww..." Ada trailed, head tilting back as she stared up at the sky. Wasn't it noon a while ago? Then why did everything look dark - were those stars she saw?

"Ah! Sorry sorry!" Lynette called, raising her hand as she noticed the collision. She interlocked her fingers together, frowning slightly as she shifted sheepishly in place, "I didn't think I threw him that hard..!"

The familiar cadets stood around, staring at the apparent massacre laid out in front of them.

"I think if you threw him at all, you threw him too hard!" Jannik spat, watching the blond boy roll off of Ada, only to get no further than the ground next to her, before his head hit the ground.

"He's fine... He should really toughen up," Rheta blandly remarked, folding her arms whilst likewise supporting the weight of Andreas, whom had been in the same situation just a moment ago. Apparently despite the clear display of what was described amongst them as pretty unnatural strength, Rheta remained unperturbed.

"Lynette!" Milo piped up, running over to take her arm and lift it high, "How did you do that?" He energetically inquired. Being a bit on the smaller side, it seemed a little less plausible for him, so seeing himself as around this girl's height gave him a little hope in that sense.

"I didn't do anything special," She bashfully replied, though more accurate would be to have called it a tad shocked. As far as she knew, that was pretty true. All she did was toss the guy, and not with any particular strength, right?

"Oh, I'll say~." A playfully mocking tone rose up. A rather tall, dark brown haired girl approached, her lightly tanned skin supplemented only by her darker brown, nearly dull black eyes. She was known amongst the cadets as Alize Baasch. From what they'd seen, she had managed to get away scott-free in the assembly, and did nothing but perform well as the camp went on.

"Huh?" Lynette turned, fully giving this girl her attention, though not without a furrowed brow and maybe even just a touch of subconscious attitude.

Alize pushed her fingers through her dark brown hair, tightening the tie to keep it further back into its tight bun. Her dark eyes fell disinterestedly upon the brunette. Her hands were placed on her hips afterwards, her tall stature bending as if to cast her gaze at a downward angle. "Your spar there," she clarified, head crooking to the side, "It wasn't anything special."

"Oh, hey..." Lynette began, feigning absent-mindedness whilst as she likewise pushed her hair back out of her way. "Was that your way of asking for a spar? All you had to do was ask, Ali."

The cheerful natured girl seemed only to urge a perplexed, minorly annoyed look onto the dark haired girl's face, "Sure thing, Lynny..."

The spectating cadets cast their eyes in the direction of the beginning spar, the directions behind the exercise not even being heeded, being the knife prop had been cast to the ground, off on the side from where they were now present.

The two girls, standing across from one another, began to move in a circle of sorts, each one sizing up their opponent with careful intent.

Tension rising, each of their movements went noticed by the opposing party, nothing occurring in terms of attack, as if each were waiting for the proper moment to begin attacking. At an abrupt moment, Alize twisted her back foot, shifting all of her weight onto her charging leg with a forward kick off. Her speed increased as a result, allowing the dark eyed girl to kick her leg up to try delivering a rough blow to Lynette's left side.

That was a disadvantaged blow. Lynette can easily comprehend just from watching Alize's previous steps that the girl was right-side dominant, same as Lynette. That being said, blocking with her left hand wouldn't be helpful.

' _Gonna have to play a little creative...'_ The tanned girl mentally decided, her right hand jutting out across her body to grip the heel-end of Alize's boot and push it away with a rough flick.

Fast-paced in follow-up, upon the deflecting of Alize's foot, she slammed it down to the ground, sending her left foot soaring back over to Lynette in the same manner. This strike was evaded by Lynette's body lowering quickly to the ground, her right foot aiming to sweep the now one-foot-supported girl off her feet. While this went momentarily as planned, it seemed Alize was able to easily recover, turning the descending drop into more of a roll from which she could propel herself back up to her feet.

By this point in, it was a battle of physical blows in the form of punches, Alize using her body's nimble ways to weave through them, whilst Lynette was capable of using her physical strength to halt, then deter their intended path with a dismissive swipe of her hand.

"Go, Lynette, go!" Hollered Rheta, cupping her hands at either sides of her mouth to try amplifying the sound that came out. Though this gesture was immediately greeted by a vicious bump delivered by Jannik, "Damn right - power's everything in an exchange like this!" The two of them each received a hand on their heads, separating their rowdiness and pushing them down out of the way. "Are you kidding? This is about form and tact - none of which Lynette possess," Silvan scoffed.

"Bet your dinner on it," Jannik staked, narrowing his eyes challengingly.

"Dinner? Bet it!" Rheta spoke up, the idea sparking her appetite slightly. She clenched her fists determinedly, "If I lose, you get all of Andreas's dinner! How about that!?"

The dirt shifted, Andreas's finally sitting up from his dirtnap at the mention of what had taken place, "Wait, hold on, what?"

"Oh, Andy, you're awake!" A bead of sweat dripped down her cheek, though she seemed to ignore his existence as the moment changed back to the bet at hand, "Come on! Take the bet and your dinner will be mine!"

"Lynette's a lot smarter than you give her credit for," Ada added, sitting up with likewise challenging eyes, though she made no move to try betting dinner.

"Yeah, we'll see about that," Silvan shot back, the tension between their own small gathering raising until-

"So this dinner's mine, right?" Rheta prompted, reaching out towards Silvan's plate, only to have her hand roughly smacked away, "No one won, so no one's getting anyone's dinner."

"But it was basically a Lynette win," Rheta challenged, opening her mouth in a loud-mouthed drawl that showed her slightly sharper canine teeth, "So since it wasn't _official_ , how about I take pity on you and just take the potato, hah?"

Jannik dropped his chin in his hand, rolling his eyes, "The fight didn't finish, so the bet doesn't work."

Unfortunately the squirmish had been put to a halt by Keller, seeing as the two not only completely disregarded the exercise, but had wound up sucking in the other cadets to watch their brawl on top of that. To be frank, it was lucky enough all in itself that the two had managed to avoid being dealt a hefty punishment, but seeing as it wasn't an intentional offense, they were let go with slaps on the wrist.

"What- JANNIK!" The sandy-haired girl's hands rose, gripping onto the sides of her head, then motioning aggressively to him, "Why wouldn't you have my side with this?! You could get a hunk of his bread loaf or something out of it!"

"You know, you're not as bad as you look from spectating," Alize casually offered, chewing on the cheekful of bread she had in her mouth, "I guess it just looked like that, since your form sucks so bad. But don't worry, that's pretty common with total rookies."

Lynette's smile became somewhat jagged, brow twitching as she stared across the way in the same manner, "Yeah. And you know, you actually are pretty skilled at what you do. You just suffer from a complete lack of tactical cunning is all." She offered a cheerful expression, even gifting a somewhat amused giggle of sorts, "But that's really okay! That's common among the intellectually-challenged!"

The two stared across the table at one another, somewhat glee in their expressions that hid their disdain and tense hatred.

"Oh..." Nadine trailed, seeing the two staring darkly at one another. Her fingers intertwined, and she took the opportunity to scoot away slightly before turning her attention to the other members of the corp. at the tables, "Have you heard? Our next training mission is set to be a test of stamina."

"Test of stamina?" Ada glanced up, a bead of sweat accumulating to her cheek, "Any... idea on how exactly that's going to be done?"

Milo leaned forward, raising his hands as if a sudden burst of excitement had managed to reach him, "Well! I used to hear from some members of the Garison that it consisted of running, backpacking, horseback riding. A whole lot of stuff like that. I dunno exactly how this one is going to be done though..."

"Whenever I hear we're doing something out of the ordinary, I can't help but become nervous... What with instructor Keller's interesting methods," Nadine's finger curled in towards her lip, brow furrowing in dread.

Horsebacking? Running? Backpacking? How far? How long? How so?

Ada's hands rose up, encompasing her cheeks, and spreading up to the edges of her forehead whilst her eyes stared seemingly into nowhere. She'd never ridden a horse. Running was never exactly her best friend. And backpacking? Despite her dark complextion, one could see that she was becoming notably pale.

"Hey... A-Ada, are you okay..?" Milo's concern eased out into his voice whilst his hand hesitantly rose toward her, "Ada..? Ada..."

"Cadet Meier."

Ada's back stiffened at the soft-spoken address from Keller, her body at complete attention as she accepted the backpack she had been given. Almost instantly after it reached her hands, her body lurched forward, dropping down from the sudden weight difference. This was not what she was expecting. This was what she was supposed to be carrying on her back..!? Wincing at the effort it took to raise the weight, she slowly placed the weight up on her back. The group had done something akin to this once before, but the weight wasn't nearly as heavy, and the starting point wasn't some high hill of greenery on the edge of the Krolva District.

"Cadet Glass."

"Right," Lynette nodded firmly, slipping the backpack onto her back without too much difficulty, though her eyes shifted to Ada who seemed to be having more of a hard time. This was supposed to be strength training for an upcoming test and evaluation, if she weren't mistaken... Hopefully Ada could hold her own here, but if not, it would be no understatement to say Lynette would offer her support if necessary.

As the rest of the cadets received their backpacks, they were all greeted to early dawn's sight of the path affront them. A foggy hillside leading down into plains with the cloudy overhead threatening to bring rain.

This would be the path they would be taking. All the way from the edge of the Krolva District to the Southern Training Camp, located near the Trost District.

 **A/N: Whoof! All the way to the Southern District. That's a trip and a half. I sure hope everyone makes it back alive and everything.**

 **Thank you to all of you that are reading this story. I just want to make sure you guys are happy and enjoy. Or rather... that you guys are as happy as happy can be in an Attack on Titan fanfic...**


	5. Chapter 5: The Southern Division

Near the end of the run, the rain began to descend, drenching the running trainees and making the terrain much more difficult to navigate, with puddles, loose ground, and muddied dividends waiting to inhibit their efforts. A few of the members seemed to have occasional issue, their feet wedging into portions of the thick obstruction, boots nearly slipping off, exhaustion setting in.

"Whew..." Lynette, feeling her legs burning, gripping tightly to the straps of the backpack, pulling them to vent out some of the physical frustration without stopping the moving of her legs. She sucked in a deep inhale through her nose, then released it through the mouth, trying to keep everything even as she slowly turned her head towards Ada. The brunette's lips began to drop, a frown twisting onto her features - her friend wasn't doing bad, by any means, but it was easy to see that she was already pushing herself past her limitations, and they had much further to go.

"Don't overdo it. If you need to slow your pace a little, do so," She reminded Ada, causing the dark haired girl to drop her head slightly before nodding and pressing on a bit slower.

It was a test of endurance, not speed, so it was true there was no reason she should have been trying to pull ahead like this were a race. Ada's eyes lowered to her own feet, trying to keep her breaths even, though it felt a bit like she was gulping down air, and all of it with the touch of overexertion was beginning to take its toll. She didn't talk back to Lynette, nor really speak to anyone, doing that and running at the same time would have been too much of a task.

Rheta, up in the front, turned around, hand raising in order to send a wave back Andreas's way, "Hey! Come on, keep up!" Clearly she wasn't nearly as gentle or attentive with her friends in need, as it appeared Andreas was having a bit of a rough time by this point, lagging behind with occasional bursts of speed. Unlike the rest, Rheta didn't seem to be having much in the way of complication, her strides staying long and paced while her breath wasn't as shallow as the rest, despite her chest heaving from deeper in-and-ex-hales. "Hey! I can see something if I squint really hard!" She called back.

Milo reached up his hand, sucking in a breath as his hand draped over his forehead, collecting sweat to swipe away, "It's too early... F-for it to be the camp, right..?" He gulped down to quell his burning throat, pushing on to an incline that Rheta had been atop when relaying her observations to them.

"Horses," Harlan replied, tipping his head to get a better view of the creatures now that the rain was beginning to let up a bit.

Jannik's head rose, certainty streaming through his eyes as he began to pull the head. His muddied hand were brushed against his pants, clearing the filth from them before he sucked in a breath and hooked his fingers around the inside of his mouth. Given an exhale, he uttered a whistle that sent the horses' ears flicking up at attention. They turned, one initially, then the others following suit, trotting behind the first as they drew towards the sound of the whistle.

"Nice! Look at the farm boy coming through!" Rheta loudly called, gripping the reigns of the horse that came nearest to her. "I'm sooo tired - this is a blessing, but is it really for us?" Despite this question, she was already well-into the process of mounting the steed.

"They're from our camp. I'm pretty sure if they weren't, they wouldn't be here," He blandly clarified, moreso behaving so unenthusiastically due to the little 'farm-boy quip'.

"Well, I'm thankful for i- H-hey, easy!" Rheta called down to the horse, seeing as it became antsy under her presence, shifting its hooves a bit recklessly before taking off in what almost appeared to be a panic of sorts. "Easy!" Rheta shouted again, but to no avail, tugging on the reigns, attempting to soothe it with gentle pets, none of it seemed to quell the beast that spun and rocked beneath her.

"What the Hell?" Jannik's brow furrowed deeply. He was utterly confused - the horses in the camp were all so well-behaved, what reason would one have to start behaving so irrationally?

Boarding his horse, Andreas ran his hand down the neck of the horse. It was perfectly calm in response, allowing him to push forward behind the oddly behaved horse, "Hold on, Rhet, just bail if you can't hold on to it!"

As the cadets all began on horses in waves, Lynette waved her hand affront of Ada who seemed momentarily frozen. "Are you okay?"

Ada shook her head free of the dazed distractions, lightly taking the horse's reigns in her hands, "Yeah.. I'm fine." She looked at the horse's snout between her hands and furrowed a brow, taking a deep breath whilst looking into its highly observant eyes. It seemed calm enough, but with Rheta's current situation, that remained to be seen. She looked up, placing her hands down and hoisting heself up onto the horse. Alright! So far so good. She turned to Lynette, both a bit more confident that this part went well, and a little relieved that it would give her a break from walking, "I'm fine, yeah..."

Lynette nodded, hoisting herself onto the horse as well, then taking the reigns set ahead a bit, eye wandering to Rheta who was closely trailed by Andreas.

Ada watched as she rode, gaze casting down to her own hands, ' _I'm supposed to be protecting her...'_ She thought, causing a pout to come onto her face. She shouldn't have been forcing Lynette to worry, but here she was with burning feet, pained legs, and a back that felt numb. To be frank, as she rested atop the horse, she could feel all of the pain she'd pushed through earlier coming back around. "Hmn..." She grumbled, pushing forward as well with her horse.

In one abrupt moment, Rheta's horse shifted its hoof, wedging it into the mud and shaking its body roughly enough to send the sand-haired girl flying off into the mud.

"Ah-ah..." Her body twisted, arching from the apparent pain of hitting not just the ground, but a stone concealed within the depth of the mud. Her fingers gripped into the murky substance, her wrist raising to slowly push the grime from her cheek, green eyes focusing on Andreas whom had managed to catch up.

He hooked her arm around her neck, in turn hooking his own arm around her hip to hoist her up.

"What the Hell happened?" Jannik came in, sliding from his horse to grip the reigns of the ill-behaving animal. Whence nearby, it began to return to its calm nature, "Seems like something scared the hell out of her."

Rheta shifted her gaze over, attempting to remain jovial as she flicked her hand dismissively, "Aha.. I never have been good with animals. Maybe I was too hasty..."

Silvan brought his horse up nearby, gripping the reigns tightly at its sudden ornery behavior, "Throw her on the back. If she can hold on, I'll just take her the rest of the way."

"Would Keller be fine with that?" Milo questioned, worry taking over his eyes as he hastily passed glances between each of the present members.

"Well I don't think she's got a choice - she's injured and can't control the horse like that, so it's throw her on the back of someone else's or leave her to die," Silvan snappily clarified, thankfully not causing any issue for Milo, who was already used to his occasionally unsavoury personality.

"Hand me the backpack," Lynette offered, holding out her hand, "I'll deliver it the rest of the way." Being given the weighted bag, she hooked the straps around her front, rather than her back, evenly distributing the weight and also keeping her hands free enough to handle the horse. Afterwards, Rheta was carefully lifted up onto Silvan's horse, where she could hold on without too much difficulty.

"Things are going a little... South," Ada offered, but glancing up quickly thereafter, she managed a slight smile, "But... But. We're getting through this..! And, growing uh- Bonded." A little positivity spurt to lighten the mood, "All- Where's Nadin- Oh God, we lost Nadine." Which didn't last long.

Turning to look back, the group could see the blonde riding alongside Alize, who had apparently just been the unfortunate one close enough for her to latch onto for security.

"Oh. Good. That's not a thing." Ada breathed softly, turning to look ahead to where Harlan was little more than a dot amidst the gradually ceasing rain.

Meanwhile, far in the rear, kept further out of sight, Keller rode atop her own horse, the dark colored creature taking its time at a steady pace. Without knowledge of their prowess in working with the 3-D maneuvering gear, one would assume it would be far too early to truly evaluate the students at their current state, but in reality, their actions up until the present only provided her ample knowledge of their strengths and weaknesses, and even just who would highlight with the gear-test.

Her mind went to the situation she had just watched unfold: Rheta. It was an interesting sight, with consideration that the girl with so little intelligence, or perhaps the girl that seemed so harmless would be harboring the highest concentration of pure murderous intent.

No wonder the horse would fear her, but in the same sense, the children were too ignorant to danger to feel the same.

Flicking the reigns, the platinum blonde instructor began increasing her pace, following behind a bit closer - at the rate they were going, the camp wouldn't be too far ahead.

"We made it!" Lynette abruptly called out, fists raised up as she took a gander at the open space built in quite similar construction to their own Western Division. Though, unlike their own camp, it seemed the rain wasn't as cruel as them. "It took us... literally a day. But we made it!"

"A whole 24 hours..." Ada sluggishly croaked out, hands gripping against the reigns slowly beginning to give out. It was a certain bittersweet feeling - when you reached the finish line, only to realize that you had been surviving on nothing but adrenaline until reaching that point? Surely the accomplishment felt nice, but the all-over pain was something she could live without. "A little soreness I can handle," She began, dropping the backpack to the ground, then slowly beginning to peel herself from the horse, "but this is just... pain."

Rheta, being lowered by Silvan, looked up with a dreary thumb motioning to her back, "Tell me about it."

"Oof. Sorry," Ada quickly withdrew, and while normally she would have had her hand lodged into her hair by now, the tightness in her muscles refused to let her raise her hand above her waist, "So what now..?"

"Excuse me..!" A blond male approached, appearing meek and hesitant momentarily. He took a good look at the group before him, then took a step back, "I was supposed to be...meeting you here." As he spoke, a black haired girl moved affront the unmounted cadets, accepting the reigns of their horses in her hands and beginning to lead them towards the stable. She didn't even spare the incoming group a glance, only momentarily paused the swiveling of her head to lower her mouth further beneath the wrapping of her red scarf.

The group of them looked ahead to the casually dressed male, each of them appearing almost too exhausted to speak, aside from Milo, who despite his apparent lack of energy, still made it a point to be hospitable, "Thank you. It's good to know you were expecting us!"

Seeing as a boy with seagreen eyes was waiting by to accept Lynette's horse, she slowly slid down from the horse, arms drooping to let the backpack slide from her front, then moving them back to likewise let the backpack drop from her back. "Hah..." She breathed finally, but even her lungs felt like they were growing sore. Not realizing the odd way that the boy looked at her, she continued looking back to where Nadine and Alize were arriving, and he went along with accepting her mount.

"You can follow me to the..." The blond motioned, brow furrowing slightly. Huh. It seemed in that moment he had remembered he had a hard time communicating with strangers. What a time to remember. "To the uh..." Either that, or he just momentarily lost his train of thought.

"They're not titans, Armin," The green eyed boy teasingly remarked. He accepted another couple of horses then started off towards the stables.

"That girl..." Andreas trailed, tipping her head into the direction where the red-scarved girl had gone with a certain familiar gleam of intrigue in his eyes, but this response was quickly disrupted by Rheta's hand pushing his face back towards the blond known as Armin while he supported her weight. "You're tired, remember?" She casually reminded him.

"Please follow me!" Armin rephrased, lowering his head out of a relinquished respect before quickly turning to walk towards the same open resting and lodging area as was in their home Western Division.

Doing as instructed, the lot of them started into the lodge, seeing a fairly large amount of Southern Division scouts present as well. A lot of both strangers and potentially familiar faces filled the room, leaving everyone scanning the room seemingly for an eternity without anyone making a move first, save for Harlan who simply walked in to take a seat at an empty table.

From there, news began to circulate, tides of conversation beginning to alter into talk of the Western cadets' arrival.

"Great." Jannik sarcastically drawled, driving his hands into his pockets, "Not even a chance to wash up?"

"To be fair, Harlan wasn't dirty," Alize prompted, ignoring the hasty glower from the ginger haired male that she received in response.

"Ah!" Armin quickly waved his hands, "There'll be a chance for washing in a little while. We just need our instructor to know that you're here. He's probably catching wind right now. So I guess until then..."

Lynette quickly threw her hands up, "We mingle!- AGH." The gesture was not welcomed by her settling body. She folded her arms stiffly, hands latching onto her biceps in the process to try quelling the nagging pain in her muscles.

"Is there... a bathroom?" Ada inquired through a dreary, heavy tone, only to receive a mildly terrified Armin's pointing gesture towards the hallway, "I-it's all the way at th-"

And Ada was off, head bowed and hand clasped tightly over her mouth. Clearly all of that exertion had taken a negative toll on her body, and she needed a moment to relieve the nausea that had been setting in for some time. Lynette spared her a concerned glance, brow furrowing, though she was positive she would be fine. It was a classic symptom of overexertion, after all...

The lot began to descend the stairs, the numbers in the room beginning to nearly double with the inclusion of the new division cadets taking their seats.

Andreas leaned back a bit, tipping his head to get a nice look at the various members of the other division, "They've got some pretty girls, I'll give them that..." His shifting eyes seemed to pause, falling momentarily upon one brunette that seemed to be stuffing her face with an appetite that immediately reminded him of Rheta. "I like that one..."

"I don't think that is what we're here for!" Nadine quickly reminded him, a bead of sweat forming at her cheek. She shrank down slightly, settling her chin atop her folded hands, "I only want to sleep..."

"Without eating first? No way!" Rheta scoffed, only to receive an accusatory look from Andreas before her completely swiveled around to face her, "Didn't you almost break your back? You should have your mind on getting wrapped up. That's it."

"Are you my mom?" Rheta blandly drawled, circling her finger dryly against the surface of the table.

Jannik slowly bowed in his arms, then flexed them out in a feeble attempt to loosen them, "Did Ada really go puking up her guts?"

"So it seems," Lynette answered, though found her attention a bit divided at the moment. She had been taking this moment to scan and get a feel for the present scouts, but instead it seemed her brown eyes were immediately pulled to that of a blond male near the corner.

"...Are you- Did..." Jannik's brow furrowed deeply, "What the Hell are you doing?"

"Checking out men. It's not a surprise, given the setting," Alize blanly replied, though subsequently triggered the brown haired girl's eyes to visibly widen.

"No!" Lynette quickly clarified, shaking her hands towards them in a defensive manner, "Please don't make assumptions like that. I'm not attracted to him. He's just..." Her eyes reeled back over to him, head tilting to the side. Everyone, by this point, had a pretty good idea of where they thought this was going, but it seemed none of them had the right one, "He's just so. Tall. I really want to climb on his back."

Silvan immediately spoke up, folding his hands together, "Now, if you really expected anything more, I'm disappointed. She's an idiot, what were you expecting?"

Back down the hallway, Ada emerged. A bathroom they said. It was more like an outhouse, and the _door_ was at the end of the hallway. She brushed the water splashed on her face with the back of her sleeve, lazy eyes fixated ahead. "I hate throwing up..." She muttered, turning her head just slightly to catch sight of a couple of scouts moving past the window. After seeing them, she turned to face forward again, only to abruptly double-take with wider eyes. "N o ."

"LYNETTE!"

The members of their division, as well as the southern division all turned at her sudden outburst, to which Ada, now stationed in the main room, flushed out of mild embarrassment. Luckily, her urgency to relay the message was overriding her flustered moment as well as her exhaustion.

"Ada?" Lynette questioned, only to immediately have her shoulders gripped tightly by her companion.

"Jean is here." She urgently relayed, causing Lynette's eyes to widen as she stared up, wide, shocked eyes fixated, "What."

"Jean. Is. Here." Ada quickly reiterated.

"Who?" Rheta spoke up, brow furrowing. The lot of the other members seemed completely in the dark.

"Why? When? I..."

"I don't know!" Ada immediately severed Lynette's spazz-like questioning, "I just know he's-"

As she attempted to finish her sentence, the door was opened, causing the two girls to shudder slightly at the two at the door. While one was a stranger of sorts, the other, with the brown undercut, and seemingly perpetual frown was all too familiar.

"Jeaaaaaan!" Lynette called, sweats dotting her face as she stared at the boy awkwardly, and though she had certainly been hoping for much more of a heartfelt reunion, she was aware of what she would receive. An incredulous, questioning stare that seemed to demonstrate little more than confusion mixed unevenly with a thick dose of irritation.

 **A/N: Just a little dosage of the upcoming canon character intrusion, since this fanfiction isn't going to be ENTIRELY OC-centric. This is like a little pacing area that builds each character's own views, appearances, and separate profile before moving into the action, which will be much more fast-paced and have not much room to slow down and get a new feel for it.**

 **There will be more characters introduced in terms of OC as well, it's just that the ones being introduced now are the bulk of what's going to be focused on.**

 **Kind of like real Attack on Titan. LOL**


	6. Chapter 6: Settling In

"What. The Hell are you two doing here?" Jean rose his question slowly, dragging it out from the back of his throat like every second it took to finally get the question out was causing him to become more and more livid.

"Jean?" The male next to him spoke up, his light brown eyes seeming to softly shift between he and the panicked girls, "You know them..?"

Jean never seemed to respond, only slowly began to approach, eyes locked on like tunnel-vision was beginning to flare up. The dark way in which he moved, coupled with the scene that had just taken place moments ago, stirred the attention of the room occupants, causing them all to stare at the unraveling scene with occasional whispers and hypotheses regarding what this was all about.

"J-Jean..." Ada slowly trailed, stiffly waving her hands defensively for a moment, before turning to duck behind Lynette, "I don't get why you're angry..? Aren't you happy to see us?"

Staring down intimidatingly at the two, Jean didn't respond to the questions being thrown his way, only continued in silence until still affront them.

"Hold on-" Lynette proposed, shifting and tipping her head through the aching in her neck, "I could ask you the same question." She slowly folded her fingers in together, brow raising a bit questioningly or aggressively perhaps, "What are _you_ doing here? You have any idea how dangerous it would be to go running off to the Survey Corp. with-"

"HAH!" He sat down on the edge of the table, tilting his head back then dropping the side of his cheek carelessly into the palm of his hand, "Survey Corp.? What kind of idiot do you take me for? If I'm here, it's only for one reason."

Lynette's expression shifted to blank as she stared to the male affront her "You're seriously not."

"Wow. Running away from problems must be common in your district," Silvan most-casually spoke up, though rather than the evil eye, Jean merely shifted his head up, brow furrowing a bit antagonizingly. "It's common sense. Why do you think everyone would work their ass off if not?"

Silvan's expression quickly turned to Lynette, who smacked the palm of her hand against the table, "I'm not running from the problem!" She pointed his finger to his nose, eyes narrowing sharply, "Shame on you, _Jean-boy_."

"What the Hell did I say about that!?" He immediately riled up to 100 from the teasing attack, glaring down the brunette.

"Do something about it, you coward!"

"Coward - so what's this about you going to the Military Police, hah?! You're just as much _coward_ as I am!"

"I'm going to fix the problems, not ditch them!"

As the bickering went on, the boy that had entered with Jean began to slowly ease his way over to the rest of the table, bending down beside Ada, who seemed to be the only other person at the table that wasn't completely confused. "I'm sorry," He began, scratching awkwardly at his freckled cheek as he offered apology for his apparent interruption, "But... can anyone explain what's going on, please..?"

Ada folded her arms gently, crooking her lips into a partially quirked pout as she watched the two argued back and forth, "Jean and Lynette met when we were all younger... Even though we lived in different districts, they would occasionally bridge the gap when they could catch someone making the trip. They got along well then, but he and I, not as much." Her dark colored eyes slowly slid in Jean's direction, a slight huff of air exhaling out in the form of a pent up sigh, "He was always way too mean for me, so I made much better _nicer_ friends."

"Then Jean grew up to be a prick," Lynette quickly interjected, piggybacking from Ada's explanation, only to have the 'prick' in question flare up, "Shut up!"

"So this is normal...?" Nadine tilted her head, brow furrowing with just as much concern as confusion. Typically when she met up with old friends again after some time, the first thing they did wasn't immediately start going after one another's throats.

"It's how they get along," Ada's head immediately dropped after the sentiment, comical streaming tears making her point as she murmured something akin to, "If my friends hadn't already graduated, we'd have someone much better to talk to..."

"Better than Jean?" Lynette spoke up once more, "It's not hard-"

"YOU LITTLE-"

"Heeey," A voice spoke up, the body of said voice accurately casting a shadow over the two, and half of the table in the process, "Hey." He calmly waved his hands whilst attempting to offer a rather large, calm smile on his face, "No need to get all worked up and cause a scene, right?"

"Keep your nose out, Reiner," Jean muttered, briskly waving him off.

"Don't be rude," Lynette contrastingly spoke up, raising her head to the larger male and promptly holding out her hand, even if it was possibly just to contradict Jean in some way. "It's very nice to meet you, Reiner. I'm Lynette." She spoke up blissfully, attempting to over the most sickly sweet smile that she could muster.

"He's huge..." Nadine trailed quietly, staring at the mountain of a man that stood before them.

Rheta leaned back into Andreas slightly, attempting to mask the murmur in which she was subconsciously worried would come out a bit louder than anticipated, "he definitely hasn't missed any meals..."

"Maybe we shouldn't be talking about this guy. He looks like he could literally crush us..." Andreas fed back, a twinge of dread slowly streaking its way down his face as he made it priority to let his caramel eyes wander anyone but to this Reiner affront them.

Reiner's hazel eyes slowly descended to the hand held out in his direction, then slowly traveled back out to the one from which it had come from. His brows furrowed in, the inward edge twitching ever so slightly as a bead of sweat eased down his cheek, "Yeah!" He quickly supplemented his hesitance with agreement, casting out his hand to shake her own firmly-

"What the Hell are you looking at her like that for?!" Literally no provocation, but it appeared Jean found something in the wordless silence to belt off of.

"With the soul of an overprotective father..." Ada sweatdropped at the display, shaking her head just slightly, "Or just a worked up little boy trying to start something..." She also added this possibility, causing Alize to scrunch up her nose with mild displeasure, "Gross."

And there they went again, Jean shouting at Reiner, Reiner defensively pleading his case, and Lynette scolding Jean for his outburst.

Despite the commotion beginning to span the room, causing quite the noisy environment, it seemed not to take but a single, quiet sentiment in the wind to put a halt to half of it.

"Excuse me..."

Immediately, the noise died down from half of the room's occupants, each of them remaining completely silent now as they scanned the room,then let their eyes fall on their instructor, Keller, whom had seemed to enter the door without anyone's knowledge.

Groups of cadets from the Western Division let their eyes hesitantly shift to those in the Southern Division, all of which seemingly to merrily go along with their conversations, arguments or debates. The Western cadets braced, readying themselves for when the woman would open her mouth and turn instead to her abrupt shouting to snatch their attention.

Instead, however, it seemed the buck was passed to an unfamiliar looking man.

" **LISTEN UP, MAGGOTS!** "

Nadine flinched so hard from the sudden volume that her jolting hand nearly uppercut her own chin in the process.

The Southern cadets at this sound, however, neither jolted nor flinched, only turned their attention towards their own instructor as if this were completely normal ground amongst them.

"Thank you." Keller casually replied. She raised her hand, motioning to Rheta, "You, come with me. As for the rest of you, mind Instructor Shadis and he will instruct you on what you will do next, as well as what the instructions will be for the time that you will be staying here."

The compact explanation was immediately received, to which the Western Cadets chorused with a prompt reply, "Ma'am!"

Meanwhile, as she left, Andreas and Rheta in tow, Shadis took over, taking a step forward to evade the opening and closing door just behind him. "Western Division stays in the hill-side lodge."

"What?" Jean's head snapped up, eyes narrowing towards Lynette and the other directly available Western Division cadets. He hardly seemed amused, even though it would appear the visiting trainees had no idea what would trigger such a response.

"You guys are really lucky," the freckled boy kindly offered, placing his hands upon the nearby Ada and Nadine's shoulders, "The hillside lodge is usually reserved for important visiting guests."

Lynette tipped her head, Ada quickly following suit as the two looked confidently towards Jean, if not feigning a sort of snooty, overconfidence - much to Jean's clear bemusement -though he basically just rolled his eyes as if it weren't worth his time responding to.

"Kirstein!"

The brown haired male quickly straightened up, removing his cheek from his hand and looking ahead to the instructor.

"Since you and Braun seem so well-acquainted with our guests... Why don't the two of you show them to where they'll be staying." Even though the instructor wasn't nearly as loud this time around, the way he spoke almost seemed to keep some hints of threat, as if some grave punishment would befall them if they didn't agree to it.

Jean's eyes slid over to the two once more, only to see that they were now embodying an overly blissful, mockingly childish demeanor that caused him to grumble something incoherent under his breath.

"Sounds like a plan," Reiner spoke up, "Yeah, Jean?" Despite the innocently posed question, he was once more greeted with the glaring daggers of his fellow cadet. "Ahem," He quickly cleared his throat, stepping back and motioning to the group, only to have Jean point to the other Cadets from the west that seemed to be flocking to more or less the same side of the room.

"Or. I'll lead this group instead," Reiner dryly murmured, rubbing awkwardly at the top of his head. Did he do something wrong? He didn't seem like he did something wrong.

"No need to be rude," Ada spoke up, immediately supported by Lynette's likewise comment, "Yeah, he's been nothing but nice, Jean." This propelled Ada to keep the exchanges going, a little amusement playing out as she spoke up again, "You don't have to be jealous that he's stronger." "Not to mention better behaved..-"

"ENOUGH," Jean's shoulders rose as he shouted loudly, causing Ada to glance away whilst Lynette couldn't help laughing, which she tried smothering with the overlay of her hand.

"Glad to see they aren't just a pain in our ass," Silvan casually spoke up in a quieter tone, drilling his hands into his pockets as the lot began to follow behind their guide. Pushing out of the lodge, they walked along with their bodies aching painfully from the toll of their work catching up with the tired, resting bodies.

It was nearing the evening hours, and save for a few cadets passing by here and there, the outside was relatively empty. The ground was a bit soft from what could be assumed as the light sprinkle their rainstorm had become upon reaching this district, but other than that, the camp was hardly as obstructed as the path they had taken to get there.

They moved through a wide open space that was clearly seeming to be their training grounds, and just a skip from there, was a small incline leading to a much more gently used lodge area.

"Ah!" Milo quickly began, leaning in to take a closer look at the housing area, "Is this seriously for us?!"

Jean folded his arms and turned back to everyone, "Yeah. You can get to the water storage from the back of the lodge. Don't use too much either!"

"I'm gonna bleed the camp dry," Jannik spoke up just after the warning was dished out. While it certainly wasn't his intention, it did do a good job of irritating their host, which was to be honest just as fun as making the comment itself it seemed.

Jean scoffed quietly to himself, rolling his eyes as he waved the lot of them off, "Girls and guys in different rooms. Training's at 5, Breakfast at 9."

"Literally at dawn..." Nadine near-silently lamented. They were used to those hours, but with the days they had, was it really too much to ask for a little break, or a bit of leway? She shook her head, attempting to remain firm in her self-discipline as she followed some of the other entering cadets into the structure.

"Thanks, Jeanie!" Lynette, even with all the ill-treatment and arguing up to this point considered, latched onto her friend's midsection from behind as he moved to leave, gifting him a brief hug before quickly letting go.

He peered back, then quickly forward once more, reddish tint stretching over the bridge of his nose out of embarrassment, "Yeah yeah. Don't do that where people can see."

Rolling her eyes playfully, the brunette hurried up and into the lodge, same as the rest.

They finished up their washing, the group of girls sitting about the room and readying for bed so they could get to training come the morning. At the moment, Rheta, came in late due to her injury being tended to.

"What are you doing..?" Alize questioned dryly, seeing the sandy-haired girl beginning to unwind then re-wind her hairband in such an odd way.

"I don't want to get my hair wet," Rheta replied most casually, glancing up whilst holding her side ponytail in hand, "That's the worst! It gets everything you lay on wet and it gets really annoying too." As her sun-tanned fingers wound around the bands, one could see her dry, stiff hair beginning to coil around and pop from the hair band as if this were one of the first times it had been removed in ages. Portions of literal dirt and mud broke from the collection of stuck-together hair, and while the group didn't exactly want to stare, they mostly couldn't help their eyes wandering to the sound of bristles against steel wool.

"Maybe..." Lynette began, sitting up from one of the beds in the room and staring with risen lids, "Maybe.. you should... let it get wet."

Alize's nose wrinkled out of disgust, head recoiling back, "When's the last time you actually washed it? Looks like you've been collecting dirt in there since you were damn near born."

Rheta's lips upturned into a pout, and while not visibly seeming embarrassed, she combatted the embarrassing questions flusteredly, "I've washed it!" She stepped away, murmuring something completely incoherent under her breath, "I- There wasn't a lot of water where I was from!" She waved her hand before the conversation could get too indepth, letting herself out of the room.

The full of the room -aside from a couple of uncaring cadets-, exchanged glances, all of them ranging from mild wonder to determined planning.

"Let's..." Ada started, folding her fingers that she then proceeded to set into her lap, "Let's wash her hair."

"Can we really do that?" Nadine's eyes seemed wide with a terrified disbelief. Rheta was known for her erratic movements and tendency to strike indiscriminately in a threatening situation - like a cornered animal of sorts.

Alize stood up, running her hand up her own arm whilst smirking slightly, "She can't even touch me on a good day. I may be sore, but she's got a bad back. I'll be damned if she'll even have a chance."

Meanwhile, in the room further down the hall, a good measure of western cadet boys sat around, getting ready for bed, limbering out the sore muscles, or just boredly biding their time for relaxation since they seemed not to have much else to do in an unfamiliar camp.

"What do girls do when left alone?" Milo spoke up, searching for answers amidst the room's visible silence.

The group remained relatively silent for a time, and seeing as no one was interested -or perhaps well-informed enough- to offer an answer, Silvan blandly spoke up, "Challenge each other to duels to the death. I would expect we'll come out of this camp with less than we started with."

Milo's brow furrowed deeply, glances searching for lies amongst the other cadets, but no one seemed to interested in correcting Silvan's statement.

"That can't be true..."

"I hope it is," Jannik spoke up, rolling onto his back and coursing his fingers through his messy, wet ginger hair, "We could do without all that we have, I think."

"Jannik! Silv- I..." Milo folded his arms, completely disinterested in what they had to say at this point.

Clearly all of this was just some sort of joke to them, one that he didn't find very funny.

Not far into that moment, a blood-curdling scream stretched over the room, Milo's eyes widening in horror at the sound of the desperate voice in question, "Is... That sounds like Rheta." He didn't seem to be the only one, the rest of the group likewise raising their heads, alert to the sound.

Harlan turned to reach the edge of the bed, going to stand until he could hear other voices speaking up-

"Suck it up!" That was clearly Alize's voice - it was hard to mistake the coarse bitterness that she near-constantly had in her base voice.

"Please try not to struggle so much!" Nadine's voice could be heard next, pleading to the still-shrieking and protesting Rheta, even her voice was nearly lost in all of the commotion.

Milo slowly gulped down, firmly staring ahead until his green hues took to carefully jumping to each male in the room. "Okay..." He slowly trailed, hearing the sounds begin to die down from what they were moments ago. He no longer wanted to know what girls did when alone. He could very-well accept Silvan's theory as fact. As long as he didn't have to witness it anymore.

"See? That wasn't so bad," Alize murmured, shuffling her own hands around her now slightly waving dark hair before hooking into her usual tight bun, "Maybe now if you get a little rowdy in training, you won't have to worry about feeling like a rock smacked you in the face."

"Her hair..." Ada trailed, staring at the strands of thin, silky sandy hair that fell, albeit in uneven lengths and awkward, choppy cuts, but for the most part, smooth and good-textured, "It's so... Why would you ever let it get as bad as it did?!"

"I DIDN'T- IT WASN'T BAD!" Rheta rose her voice right back, though the bickering was severed by the sound of a fist wrapping against the side of the hallway on the outside.

"I know I don't have to remind you cadets that training is at 5am." The calm voice of Keller sent a chill up their spines, the entirety of the lodging area growing deathly silent after the soft interjection from the instructor. Everyone seemed too startled to move too much, let alone speak up or even breathe. "Good." The woman spoke again, and in the complete absence of sound, everyone could hear her light footsteps carrying back up the hallway.

Lynette slowly turned her head towards the flame-lit lantern, passing a haphazard glance towards the rest of the members, before correctly assuming everyone felt the same in wanting no more risk of trouble. She gently blew out the light.

 **A/N: Wahooooo! Arriving to the Southern Division and having a few pass times. Things are gonna start speeding up, and wrapping up probably within the next two chapters for training camp, and then we'll move into the actual storyline and start making things happen!**

 **Thank you for the support and let's just go rolling into this!**


	7. Chapter 7: The Verdict

**A/N: Only a few more chapters of training camp. LOL. One thing I've learned is - in a lot of stories, you can probably whizz through the brunt of the canon storyline periods in about 20 chapters total. Attack on Titan, contrarily, is SOOOOOOO thorough in its plotting that you couldn't even DREAM of doing it that easily. LOL. Cause little details matter.**

 **I'm also trying to capture more of the vibes of Attack on Titan in this fic, so yes, I am basically telling you that small details will be REALLY important, whether you'll find out why one chapter later, or 10 chapters later. Pay very close attention. ^^ But most importantly - Enjoy!**

The days soon became weeks, training in the Southern Division becoming just as harsh as in the Western, if not more so, given the volume of students as the two groups worked as one. It became much more difficult working in groups, seeing as you would normally wind up with strangers, and suddenly utilize teamwork with a team of faces whose capabilities were completely unknown. Though the students would tend to complain before, during, and after training, there was no doubt in the back of anyone's mind that the routines and exercises were what was to be expected of a soldier operating in the real world.

"Finally we can mingle," Lynette murmured aloud, laying her arms atop her head and stretching her arms straight up to the tune of cricks popping and cracking out the kinks. "I feel like I can start seeing the point of these exercises really unwind."

Ada sighed, glancing over, then away, "Do you always have to look so far into everything?" She interlocked her own digits, stretching her own arms straight forward, then tipping her head whilst studying them from the wrist up. They were still slim, but they hardly seemed as small as before. Her brow furrowed, catching the look of toning in the exposed part of her limbs, only for dread to overtake her face in that moment, ' _I'm not gaining muscle am I..?'_

"Hey..." She slowly began, wishing to have a second opinion, only to find Lynette nowhere to be found. Quickly, she swiveled her head around, only to find her standing over affront Reiner. She hurried over by her side, looking up likewise at the large male.

Despite having been in the camp for weeks, Ada had kept most of her socializing to those that she knew, occasionally branching out when required by their training exercises. Though she sped up rather swiftly, after reaching her spot beside Lynette, she slowed and averted her gaze to her friend specifically.

"Hey!" The brunette began, addressing the blond affront her, "I know we've worked in a team together... but this seemed like finally the right environment to ask you!"

Ada's brow furrowed, head turning skeptically to her outspoken company. What was she doing?

Reiner likewise seemed to be clueless as to what she was speaking of, but rather let the look of confusion linger, he matched it with intrigue, "Ask me?" He folded his arms casually across his chest, crooking his head to the side, "Did you need something from me?"

"Yup," Her head nodded quickly, then as if suddenly developing a more bashful expression, she tucked her hands behind her back, rocking weight in rhythmic leans between her back and front foot, "This might seem... kind of strange, and you're welcomed to say no... But I was wondering if I could ask you to do something for me..?"

Immediately with minds traveling to the place of no return, both Reiner and Ada turned wide-eyed stares upon Lynette, tension rushing through the small circle of their presence as if simultaneously screaming in their minds, ' _LYNETTE, WHAT ARE YOU ASKING FOR HERE?!'_

In a few moments, Ada was standing back, fingers sliding down her forehead to grip the inside corners of her eyes out of the purest form of exasperation. Likewise, even instructor Keller had passed by at some point, sparing a similar expression of bland disinterest before turning on her heel to begin just as collectedly walking away.

"THIS IS WHAT I'VE WANTED ALL ALONG!" Lynette called out happily from her position on Reiner's back, the latter taking light sprints around the camp, as it wasn't too hard a request to honor.

"Idiots..." Silvan casually muttered, shaking his head whilst passing by - he had managed to find decent company amongst a few of the similarly outspoken members of the Southern Division, one of which being known to everyone as Ymir. It was a match made in Hell, their friendship spurring most of the members to regret the two ever having met in the first place.

Milo paused, watching momentarily before turning his attention elsewhere, this falling curiously upon Ada, "hey..." He began softly, tipping his head appraisingly for a moment, "Hey..! It looks like... you've gained a little muscle! Congratulations, training must really be working for you!"

Cold shudders wracked the girl's form before she quickly began to grip and feel her own biceps, praying this was far from the truth.

"Attention, cadets..." The calm voice of the Western Instruction filled the open area of the training ground, and while soft as ever, it this time managed to catch the attention of the now-similarly-conditioned Southern Trainees. The woman pressed her finger against the outer arm of her glasses, adjusting them up on her nose before scanning the rowdy cadets, "Line up. It's time for the next training session."

"Next training session?" Rheta loudly parroted. They had been trekking through mud and rain, carrying weighted backpacks, picking up their hand-to-hand against fresh opponents, disarming techniques, classroom lectures, and just about anything else that could be thought of. What else was there to learn to be a soldier-

"UAH!" The sandy haired girl took an abrupt lurch forward, responding to such a movement by backing her body up again, and next thing she knew, she was being circulated throughout the allotted area like an unsteady spinning top. "I hate this stupid thing!" She shouted, throwing her fists down irritably in a way that caused her body another uncertain wriggle.

"It's not that hard," Andreas spoke up. He had already learned how to balance in the device. In fact, it came to him with relative ease, "Just trust yourself a little more."

"Easy for you to say," She scoffed in retort, "I like being in charge of my OWN actions."

"Well, in a way, you are," Ada pressed, she too seeming to be having a simple time learning the balance control gear. "I think it's kind of like... relaxing and letting go..?"

Contrarily, Lynette wobbled to and fro, seeming to have just as much, if not more of a difficult time than Rheta, "Letting go my ass..." She clenched her teeth slightly, completely unable to reach stability in this hell-designed thing.

"Ouh!" Milo leaned forward in the device, seeming to have a good feel on how it was used. He moved his body in dynamic manners, seeming to have no issue with the potential of falling of rocking, "Nice form, Ada!"

If it were anyone else but Milo, she would feel that was a quip of sorts, given how well he seemed to be doing.

Nadine, the petite blonde, was perfectly aligned in the center of the device. She felt like this was something she was finally doing particularly well in, but she assumed it could have had something to do with her small stature. It made it feel less difficult to control limbs when they didn't stretch out so far after all. "Of all the difficult things we've done in this training camp, I didn't expect this to be one you had trouble with..."

"Can't. Talk. Needs. Concentration." Lynette segmented, eyes seemingly straining as she attempted to force herself into balancing the way she needed to without her legs stretching, retracting or bowing out of her manifested reluctance.

"Lynette and I have a dynamic like that," Ada began speaking in her place, simultaneously getting comfortable enough with the devices that she could begin moving a little more, "What she's bad at, I'm good at and vice-versa. I think... she's said she usually winds up bad at really simplistic things..."

"Like thinking," Silvan proposed. Where there was an opportunity to bag on the floundering brunette, there was an opportunity that could not be missed.

Down the way, one could hear the holler of Jannik, whose gear had completely overturned, sending him thrown down into the ground. Just before his head slammed the ground, Alize, filling the role of his spotter, hooked the belt of his gear in her fingers, pulling him back up with a snatching pull of her arm, "It's not as difficult as you're making, Jackass."

"I was wondering how long it would be until someone made that joke," Andreas laughed quietly to himself, although the sudden glare he received in response sent his head reeling back to the struggling Rheta.

"I can't - IT. It's because they washed my hair! It's throwing off my balance!" Rheta shouted out of frustration.

"Ch'yeah, that's it," Alize dryly retorted, dark brown eyes rolling in mocking response, "Wishful thinking."

"Don't get discouraged!" Nadine waved her arms, looking to each of the members, desperately attempting to reach the others and cheer them up somehow. "We all make each other strong together. I just know it - given a little time, we're going to be great soldiers! All of us!"

 _ **SHING-**_

The fabricated prop designed to look like a titan barely had been given the opportunity to come out from its place of springing before its nape was promptly cut by the incoming Harlan. A flawless movement allowed by his excellent form on the maneuvering gear. His grassy irses reeled to the back corner of his eyes, taking in his work for a brief moment before looking straight ahead and narrowing his eyes as if with some self-displeasure.

Keller, staying back again -this time with a couple of guests that seemed to take interest in the division's potential graduates-, took in each of their performances much more closely this time. It hadn't taken the entirety of their time in the camp, but she had managed to accurately put together each student's profile given their strengths and weaknesses. It was time to properly evaluate them.

 _'Harlan Alscher,'_ She repeated his full name in her head, watching the effortless way in which he moved, ' _He's lied stagnant at the highest level of the division's corp. Despite his already perfect grades, he continuously pushes to improve his already incredible skills. His fatal flaw lies in his usual will to avoid working in a team, and will potentially make it difficult for future squadron work.'_

Zipping past from down below, the small brown haired boy took a swift risen u-arc, straight up with sword-in-hand, arm-arcing straight across to deliver an accurate slash to the titan prop, "Yeah!" He called out of glee, managing to twist his body around to see behind him, then connect another line to a higher up tree to propel himself up. "Silvan!" He called out gleefully, "Did you see that!?"

' _Milo Werner. A soldier with excellent reflexes and dynamic use of the 3D Maneuvering Gear. He tends to rely on using his quick movements in creative ways to gain the advantage, but isn't afraid to reach out to his team. His lack of physical strength and smaller stature tends to also act as a hindrance when put in hand-to-hand situations.'_

Silvan briskly rolled his eyes, twisting the blade in his hand, as he rose up to quickly deliver a quick cut to the prop that popped out affront Milo, "Don't they call these assists?" he arrogantly inquired.

 _'Silvan Hauer. His classroom grades were some of the highest, helping him to make educated, rational decisions in the field. Unfortunately, tendency to overcalculate causes him timing issues, and his attitude makes for rocky teamwork.'_

Andreas blazed through, following his line, then rapidly attaching a new wire, then gripped the sword to make a cut in the prop springing out toward him. However, in a startled fumble, he moved to make the slash, only for it to be completely stolen from him. "Gotcha!" Rheta huffed, twisting to take the cut from him, to which she responded with her tongue sticking out, "Heh!"

"That was mine, you know!" Andreas shouted out, eyes white with rage as he haphazardly waved the blade in his direction.

' _Andreas Sieger and Rheta Faust. Their ability of synergy is typically rather astounding. Separately, Andreas seems to find strength in maneuvering, and has a talent for holding information. He falls flat, however, when faced with the actual need for targeting - having a bit of a low accuracy._

 _Rheta, contrarily, is physically gifted. Though her classroom grades are lacking, she makes up for it with steadily improving maneuver-abilities and excellent blade-wielding. She relies heavily on her instinct, but her wild qualities make it difficult for her to ride horseback without the ability to put a limitation on her animalistic capabilities.'_

Seemingly out of nowhere, a slash was made, digging deep into the nape of the prop to make a slash much deeper than was intended. Jannik turned on his gear, nodding firmly whilst gripping the sword tightly in his hand, not stopping there, he turned his swiftly, slicing the next upcoming one just as deep, "HELL YEAH!"

' _Jannik Brandt. He had a rather...slow start, but be it by his strong determination or the resourcefulness gained from his humble beginnings, he's managed to steadily improve and claw his way to the top. This determination hasn't seemed to serve him nearly as well in the classroom...'_

"Instructor Keller," the guest questioned, approaching from his stance at spectating from the rear, "Tell me. What about those two?"

The platinum blonde woman slowly turned her head, hazel eyes peering purposely to the corner of her vision to catch a glance at the man that stood alongside her. She shifted her gaze back affront her, folding her arms casually behind her, "Cadet Meier and Cadet Glass."

The tall male kept his focus momentarily, taking a slight step forward to view them at a better angle, "How have they been performing?"

She rose her hand to raise the glasses up on her nose.

The brunette's eyes shifted quickly between the targets at hand, seeing multiple had begun to pop out one after another. Leveling out the environment with their size and springing speed, she moved after them in the order that she assumed would best benefit her, were she in the field. "Right!" She slashed through the props, each one being dealt in the right spot, but...

"Lynette Glass has performed well in the classroom lectures and physical lessons. Her agreeable nature and mental capability make it easy for her to adapt to new teams or tasks. Her natural physical strength is certainly a bonus, but in the time that she's been in the camp, we haven't been able to break her out of her key flaw."

...studying the cuts made to the titan, one could see that if they were the slightest bit shallower, it wouldn't have been enough to kill it. It could be pacified as knowing how much strength is necessary, but the truth was unavoidable.

"She hesitates far too much."

Her attention shifted then to one of the others passing through, a little speedier than some of the others out there.

' _Someone's here watching us, she said. They're apparently really important...'_ All that they had done up until this point could have been just as important as this moment, being watched by a higher up like that. Her dark brown eyes seemed a bit glossy all of a sudden, but as she had learned in the time leading up to now, rather than close her eyes, she just went along with it. Her speed seemed to pick up, and as the props rose up affront her, she moved to reflexively slash, only to find discomfort in the arc of swinging her blade.

Looking down quickly, Ada swapped her blade into her other hand, twisting her body and swinging her left arm in a wide arc instead to deliver the slash to the titan, then back to the other to deal with the next.

"Ada Meier. She performs exceptionally well in a classroom setting, and her hand-to-hand tactics have been improving slowly, but steadily. She seems to be a potential dual-wielder, seeing as she tends to almost lose track of which hand is her dominant one in battle, and she demonstrates a potential capability to work well under pressure. She struggles with working in a team, and occasionally her physical capability holds her back. What truly stops her from breaching into the next level, however, seems to be her lack of resolve..."

The spectating male nodded his head in understanding, taking note of the information that he had just been given. He silently contemplated over it, catching the instructor's attention once more.

Keller turned her head to peer slightly over her shoulder, looking back once more with mild intrigue, "You seem to have a soft spot for them, Commander Erwin."

The blue eyed male slowly narrowed his eyes, not responding... only thinking and focusing.

 **A/N: This chapter was a bit more stiff and formulaic, but it was still a joy to write.**

 **I'd like to thank all of you for the support you've been giving to this story. I encourage all of you to try to guess what will come next, because I'm sure once the plot gets rolling it's gonna be a serious doozy.**


	8. Chapter 8: The Top 10

**A/N: Please enjoy this chapter! The long training chapters have finally come to an end, everyone!**

"As we had briefly informed you all upon entry - this is the moment of truth. As you all have completed your training, I give my sincerest congratulations." Keller stood up on a risen platform, centered between blazing flames and decorated below with the emblems of each existing military branch. Though the number of students had dwindled greatly since the start of the camp, there were still an ample amount of graduating cadets present to share in the celebration and move up to the next level.

The students among the audience all raised their heads, watching with excitement, their chests puffed out and gazes locked firmly on their instructor. For years they remained in this camp, growing and working together like a family, all heading towards a common goal.

Though proud, this was their crowning achievement - graduating aside their comrades and being congratulated by their instructor.

"As I call your name, please come to assume your place, and present yourself."

This was it. The top 10 were preparing to be announced. A good number of students in the audience drew in their breaths, holding tight in anticipation. Some closed their eyes, and some clenched their fists, attempting to beat out their impatient nerves. Despite these inward feelings, as always taught, they remained standing stoic and prepared, like true professionals of their craft.

"Beginning with number 10, Leonie Zimmerman."

A girl with dark, golden blond hair rose up, her light brown eyes gleaming from the assurance that past by her eyes. She turned, arms folded behind her straightened back as she presented herself to the group. She had been the relatively overlooked dark horse of the division, performing subpar in the beginning, but pushing to be recognized as a member.

"Milo Werner."

The young boy ascended the platform alongside Leonie, his height becoming a bit more than it was when he had first began in the camp. No longer was he the tiny one, easy to shove around and toy with, but growing from his previous 5'2, to a slightly more impressive 5'7. His green eyes gleamed with pride, and though he attempted to keep himself stoic, it was growing relatively difficult to hide his smile.

"Oskar Vogt."

A larger, stronger built male took his place on the stage, though save for a few that appeared to know him, many of the present members were simply confused. How long had he been attending the training camp? It appeared the male had undergone quite the growth, building a seemingly unnatural amount of brawn and shooting up in height since his first appearance. One could assume puberty was quite kind to some people, especially as it related to their physical performance. The fair skinned male looked up past his now short hair, honey-like eyes growing more piercing beneath his thick brows.

The students continued to ascend, stepping up in a following order of - Jannik Brandt, Rheta Faust, and Silvan Hauer.

The three took their places in the given order, Jannik appearing more clean cut in his muscular build, and ginger-like hair being a bit longer than before. Rheta in comparison, had undergone a similar change, her hair -which she had kept in order after the first forceful washing-, now reaching down near her waist. Silvan, contrarily, cut his hair to keep it around the same length as it had always been. His now, slightly broader shoulders and build showed themselves in the way his uniform slightly constricted against his biceps.

"Lynette Glass."

The brunette's head rose quickly, brightly seeming to accept the number four spot offered to her, however for a moment, her eyes seemed to wind into a slight bout of suspicion. Her head turned carefully, taking a quick glance towards Ada, who applauded her silently as not to disrupt the professional air. Brow furrowing deeply, she attempted to muster her normal expression, then ascended to the platform, turning to present herself.

Alize rose up a moment later, passing a somewhat smug glance towards Lynette. Of their training camp rivalry, it would seem that Alize won this round, coming out one spot higher at number three. Lynette couldn't comment, though if she would, she would most-likely have made mention of the fact that Alize's growth had been nothing to sneeze at. At this point, the dark haired girl was rivaling, if not surpassing the height of most of the males present in the camp at nearly 5'11 now.

"Johanne Kraus."

A strawberry-blonde came making her way up to the front, her expression appearing to be holding stoicism well as she adjusted her glasses. Though one could identify her as early-on being one of the least threatening members of the camp, she seemed to have taken on the lessons rather well, and was apparently eager to be proving everyone wrong.

Finally, the line-up was before everyone. Leonie, Milo, Oskar, Jannik, Rheta, Silva, Lynette, Alize, and Johanne. All that was left was the final place in the top 10, though many had a pretty good idea of who that would be as it was.

"And the top graduate of the Western Division Training Corp.: Harlan Alscher." And there it was.

The dark haired male quietly made his way to the front of the line-up, turning collectedly to face the group of cadets that looked on in glee, admiration, envy, the whole of the possible emotions at the time.

"The honor of being able to enter the Military Police branch is available only to the select students before us. As for the rest of you, you will have the opportunity to select your branch momentarily. For now, there is a ceremony banquet being prepared for you."

"I'm happy for them," Nadine spoke up from the crowd as everyone began to disband. She looked down at her own interlocked fingers, then glanced up towards a few of the others, her blue-green eyes capturing an innocent bliss. It was hard for her to truly feel disappointment. To be completely honest, she had never believed she, personally, would have made the top 10 anyhow. "Though I..." She began to speak up as a semblance of bewilderment crossed over her face, but after brushing a few loose strands of her hair behind her ear, she glanced up once more, "Ah... Nevermind that for now."

Ada glanced down towards the petite blonde, nodding firmly. She was keeping on a brave face, but even she herself seemed a little worried with the outcome of the circumstances. She shook her head slightly - it wasn't something that should have been coming to her mind right now. It was a celebration, right?

"Andreas!" Rheta leaped up, latching her arms around him, though unlike in the years prior, Andreas was able to accept her bizarre attempt at a friendly gesture without nearly toppling, "She said banquet!" The girl swiped up her own legs, literally hanging from the male whilst mustering up a pout that caused her tooth to poke out from her lip slightly, "What're we standing around for when we can go eat!?"

The cinnamon-haired boy arched a brow down at her, now bothering to lift her by the legs, "You made Top 10, but you're acting like nothing changed. Aren't you worried about something other than your stomach?"

"Nothing _has_ changed," She blandly reasoned, "I got to stand on a stage, and I'm just as hungry as when I started. I'm not going into the Military Police, so what part of this whole thing really matters to me anyway, huh?"

Well, she had a point. More than that, she had a lead in to the perspective everyone had to adjust themselves in realizing. These years in the camp had certainly been a lot of fun, and everyone had managed to get so close. It almost made one forget that these were tactics that were to be brought to the real world - out there were the titans were.

"Ada!" Lynette took her friend's hands, looking up at her with a furrowed brow -given Ada was still the taller one between the two of them.

"Congratulations!" Ada quickly offered, looking down to Lynette, "I kind of figured you made the top 10 though, it just made sense to me." Lynette decided to ignore this, not bringing up the whole ' _Do you think you made it to the Top 10'_ question that she had posed just a little while ago.

Instead, the brunette's tilted her head, skepticism leaking into her gaze, "Thank you but... I don't think it makes any sense. You should have been in the Top-"

"Hey, don't worry about that," Ada huffed, seeming just the slightest bit too cheerful as she literally waved the topic off, "This is going to be one of the last nights we all have to spend together..." Looking around to see the host of familiar faces, her dark colored eyes lit with a reflective surface warmed by the glow of the nearby flames, "We shouldn't waste it like that."

Lynette's brown hues seemed to catch the same reflectiveness as she stepped back, taking another look at the training camp. It looked so festive now - a celebration for everyone moving on with their lives. She closed one eye and stealthily brushed her shoulder against it as if making a simple gesture when she was really clearing away the chances of letting a tear fall. "You're right," She eventually agreed, turning her head away to look at the banquet area, then back to the numerous faces she had come to grow so acquainted with over the past few years, "C'mon, let's go stuff ourselves silly."

"That's the best thing I've heard all day," Jannik remarked, the group of them turning to enter the banquet hall. Although they moved with the front of enjoying themselves, they each seemed to have both a heavy heart and a heavy mind.

"So - fourth. That's not _too_ bad," Alize offered, glancing across the way to Lynette whilst haphzardly drinking down a cheekful of alcohol, "All things considered and all."

Lynette rolled her eyes, biting the cup's edge of her water whilst taking casual sips. "You're oh-so-modest. I hope you know you only got third because I got bored with the instruction towards the end." It may not have been entirely true, but she certainly had a fun time pushing Alize's buttons.

"I thought this rivalry would be over..." Nadine trailed off, settling her chin in her hands to the tune of her breathing a sigh.

"Neither of you compare to Harlan!" Milo piped up, motioning to the boy that was sitting nearby, but still acting by his lonesome. He only had risen his head to offer a moment of attention before looking at the group at hand and returning to his food.

Ada, lowing her head in a comical sulk, swiveled her water in her hand with a depressive expression, "I'm just glad we 'top ten' people can argue about our spots..."

"AH!" Lynette quickly motioned her hand evasively, brows furrowing quickly, "No no that isn't what I meant, hold on!"

The group seemed to laugh amongst themselves momentarily, pushing and prod another with their same brand of playfulness. Well, until they heard Johanne speaking up with some others over the rest of the chatter in the room.

"I worked my ass off to get into the second spot!" She made playful banter with a few of the others, her hand lightly shoving against the shoulder of the 8th spot of the ranking process. "Do you seriously think I'd go that far and not take the chance to join the Military Police?! I mean - I'm not judging you! If you want to go to the Survey Corp, that's completely on you, but I'd rather not risk my life if I don't have to!"

The small group of graduates looked at the scene, then back towards each other. It wouldn't be any of their places to make a scene, after all, she didn't necessarily say anything wrong... or at least nothing purposely demeaning.

It did bring a very important reality to the table, however, which seemed to start up from Nadine, "Has... everyone thought about what branches they're going to join..?"

Silence befell them for an elongated measure of time. It seemed no one was eager to speak up first.

As per usual, when the silence overtook, Silvan set his chin in his hand, contemplating quietly before speaking up, "Well, the Survey Corp. is the only logical choice of action for me. They'll probably praise me for the kind of expert work I would put in." While normally there would be a choir of scoffs matching eyerolls to fit the arrogance of Silvan's words, this time around, there only seemed to be a soft chorus of laughter.

"And Silvan would be completely lost without me!" Milo added, smiling along with the rest of the group, despite the former rolling his eyes to the boy's joyful remark. "I'm pretty sure we'll be fine if we stick together."

"That's how I feel exactly!" Rheta churned out through a food-stuffed mouth. Her hand reached up to roughly slap onto the shoulder of Andreas. "B'sides. When you go marching around Wall Sina, you've gotta act all weird and proper and deal with people more than titans." She swallowed hard to free her mouth and hopefully be better understood, "Survey Corp. goes outside the wall, so it's a perfect fit for me to be out there in the elements!"

Andreas turned his attention to Rheta. While it looked more like he was going to scold her for her decision, his frown only deepened wordlessly as he merely spoke a disappointed, "Rheta..."

"Seriouuuusly," She drawled, "Even if I didn't make it into the Top 10, I never would have dreamed about going someplace so dull and washed up like those Military Police up there-" She cut off her words slightly, peering over to Lynette.

"Thanks." The brunette blandly offered, causing Rheta's sheepish smile and following, "Sorry!"

Lynette lowered her chin in her hand, furrowing a thoughtful brow at the risen conversation. This has thrown a wrench in her plans slightly... Well, it hadn't, but at the same time-

"You're going to the Military Police, still, ain't ya?" Jannik spoke up, catching the brunette by surprise.

She tilted her head, lowering her eyes to her hands resting under the table as she hummed quietly as though contemplating. "Ahhh..." She trailed quietly, elongating the waiting period into having to answer momentarily.

"You are, aren't you?" Ada questioned, turning her head to look at her suspiciously.

Lynette's gaze faltered, fingers entangling themselves into her long brown hair. Her lips bowed in for a second, and her head then tilted once more to the other side. "I uh... Well, I was thinking about it. "

"Not because of me, though, right?" This next reiteration was a tad harsher than the previous, her disposition growing a little more imposing and assertive this time around, "Because... if you want to go to the Military Police... But you don't go because me... I'll be pissed."

Oho, bringing out the big guns. It wasn't often that Ada so readily through around words like that.

Lynette rubbed at the back of her neck, a dry 'ahhh' coming out before she furrowed a brow, "Well yeah... I'll be going to the Military Police... I've still got a lot of plans to make surveying easier for you guys. What about you though, Ada... Where..."

"Well." Folding her own arms, Ada cast her sight down to the table, thinking on the question a bit deeply. It had come to her mind a few times, as she had constantly been in the habit of rethinking her paths and re-evaluating her decisions. Throughout the duration of training camp, she had only thought about protecting Lynette. She couldn't really muster a goal of her own, because she never really... had one. What was her reason for being there? It was a question she came across a lot in that time. She may still need time to figure it out, but for now, her head crooked thoughtfully. "I don't really hear about anyone wanting to go off to the Garrison Branch..." She pondered aloud.

"I just heard they were a bunch of sorry, good-for-nothin' drunks," Jannik offered up, planting his chin dryly in his hand.

A beat of sweat against Ada's cheek, she blandly turned her attention to Jannik, before slowly turning it back to everyone else, "Well, I don't drink. I guess my branch will need a little fixing up too then..."

Nadine raised her arms, exuding bliss, "Yes! Everthing works out in the end!"

"We all have to keep touch, okay?" Lynette proposed, looking seriously towards all of the members, threatening them wordlessly with the intensity of her stare.

"Of course!" Ada seriously responded, almost appearing offended that she felt she had to say such a thing.

"Why would I keep in touch with you?" Silvan casually scoffed, though at the reinforcement of her glare, doubling the intensity, he merely rolled his eyes and groaned, "I was joking, idiot. I don't know how freely Survey Corp. members are allowed to write letters, but I'll see what I can do."

"Ahh yeah, I'll have Andreas write letters for the both of us!" Rheta piped up.

' _If that's how it is..'_ Lynette thought to herself, managing to cheer up in the company of the others, even if they wouldn't be able to stay as close as they had up until now, ' _This may just be a little more bearable...'_

 **A/N: AND THERE WE HAVE THE TOP 10! And everything that falls in between! Whoop whoop! Congratulations to those top cadets!**

 **NOW COMES THE FIRST STEP INTO REAL LIFEEE!**


	9. Chapter 9: Erwin's Hand

**A/N: Enjoy this chapter. It's the last semblance of peace that will be had before everything goes to Hell. ALSO. Yes. This bit does have a few hidden hints in there. There is definitely a reason for** _ **everything**_ **that happens in this story. You just have to pay extra close attention!**

 **Enjoy, my babies, the plot's finally on the road~!**

 _It was a few nights following the Closing Ceremony. Everyone had gone on to apply to their roles in their desired branches, leading to many of the other cadets returning home until they were completely prepared to fall in line with their duties. In the closing of the afternoon hours, leading into the evening, Ada went about transporting portions of firewood to store against the outside foundation of the home._

 _It was funny. What a long time it had been since she was able to come home, and even if it was just as small and quaint as she recalled it, it felt just as home-like as a few rooms with bunkbeds. She looked at the collection of wood in her arms, 'I would get tired lugging this back home before...'_

 _Feeling the slightest bit haughty in the quiet, isolated setting, Ada lifted her shoulders, dusting her hands off. She tucked her hands behind her back, looking to the window as if it were a mirror. She adjusted the baggy material of her casual pants, then placed her hand on her hips, eyeing herself casually. Maybe she had gained a little muscle, but it wasn't unflattering either. 'It's more like some really nice toning and a good-looking stomach...' She peered down, checking under the plain beige shirt she wore at the lining of abs. She wasn't initially a big fan - but through what was perhaps acquiried taste, she grew quite accustom._

 _This little self-view continued for a little while until the girl caught sight of something from the corner of her eye. Lynette had gone to the interior in Wall Sina to see about applying to the Military Police, as far as she knew. Did she get back early!?_

 _Whirring around quickly with a face that would have been flushed red out of embarrassment, Ada quickly spoke out in a loud, scolding tone, "LYNETT-" This shout was immediately severed, however, by the girl catching sight of who was truly standing behind her. Her eyes widened slightly, turning her gaze from the anticipated height place of Lynette, all the way up to the tall male that stood before her. She was instructed to remember him as Erwin Smith, commander of the Scouting Legion. Her dark brown orbs seemed to glow out of surprise, and instinctively, she took a respectful step back, coiling her fist in against her chest out of a respectful salute, "Sir!"_

 _"Be at ease," He responded collectedly, stoicism coming through his noble behavior, in an easily-admirable way. His presence was daunting in a sense, exuding a leader-like aura that demanded attention. "I'm not here to speak with you as a superior."_

 _Why was he here then..!? Wait. Did he want her to join the Scouting Legion..!?_

 _Her racing thoughts went on for what felt like ages before centering directly on his face. It... His face just looked. Feeling her brow furrow and her head subconsciously beginning to tip to the side in contemplation. This was her first time personally meeting him... so then..._

 _'Why does he look so familiar..?'_

 _In that moment, her eyes caught sight of his head beginning to curiously tip to the side, which immediately in-turn brought her back into reality. "Ah! I should invite you inside! Follow-" She paused momentarily, quickly shifting her head back to the home, then back to him, "Follow me..." She'd hesitated, really wondering if it was alright to be inviting the commander of a branch into her tiny home. He was so big too... would he really be able to sit comfortably in their chairs?_

 _Regardless of her nagging thoughts, she slowly opened the door, quickly coming in and setting a small kettle over the flames for tea, hoping to prove hospitable._

 _"Did, um..." Ada turned quickly, making her way over whilst lowering the goggle-like glasses she had received for convenience and replacing them with actual frames, "Did you need something from me, Commander Erwin, sir?"_

 _Sitting down without complaint regarding the size of accommodation, the blond male set his hands atop one another on the surface of the table, "Yes, thank you." He watched her frantic movements, holding off on saying anything in particular until after she had taken her seat. "I heard you submitted your application to the Garrison Branch."_

 _"Yes, sir." She swallowed slightly, wobbling lips straightening a bit as she adjusted her back, "Is... anything wrong with that?"_

 _"Of course not." His tone sounded a tad warmer than before, encouraging the girl to relax back into her chair just a bit. He nodded his head, offering the faint beginnings of a smile, "I have no doubt in my mind that you will perform well in your given tasks."_

 _Did... Ada's eyes just sparkle for a second there? They certainly did. She could feel a little joy swell in her chest, but furrowing a brow slightly, she shook her head, "Even... with the grades considered..? I didn't make the Top 10." As much as she didn't want to bring that up again, she couldn't evade the nerves that would follow suit. Humanity needed as many soldiers as they could get, but wouldn't that ranking affect her somewhere down the line?_

 _"Nonsense," Erwin briefly waved off, "I've seen you perform. You'll be an excellent soldier." His blue hues began to evade the conversation, lowering to his hands now stacked atop one another, "But is that what you want? To be a soldier."_

 _Ada's dark hues traveled across the way to the commander, lips pursing at the bizarre inquiry, "You're questioning my line of work..?"_

 _"Not exactly. I'm questioning your will. Why do you want to be a soldier?"_

 _As he clarified his motive, Ada briefly pondered the question, and also beyond that. Why would he come all the way here to ask something simple like that..? "I um..." Was that his only reason? It wouldn't make sense - bridging who knows how much of a distance with his busy schedule._

 _Erwin's naturally intense stare shifted to the window before back down to the table, "You can take your time to think about this. I was just opening up conversation." His blue eyes rose back, stoicism as usual despite his aura giving off something more inviting under the surface. "The real reason I came here... goes beyond your current day-to-day. Something more... future-oriented."_

 _'Future oriented..?' What, was he going to offer her a job now? The whole mood of the conversation was beginning to throw her for a loop. "Commander, sir... What do you mean, if you don't mind?" She attempted to remain polite, but the suspense was truly killing her._

 _At the sound of whistling, Ada bounded up to her feet, rushing over to the flames where she wound her hand into her bagging sleeve to try carefully gripping the heated kettle._

 _"I've taken the liberty of locating you who I think would be an adequate suitor."_

 _In that moment, Ada fumbled, her hand recoiling momentarily and knocking against the kettle. It spilled water, the splash dampening the wood and outing the flames to the tune of a loud sizzling, only the limited evening light from the window filling the silent room now._

The memory played out vividly in Ada's head: as vividly as something that had just happened to her about a week ago tops. The whole ordeal had been stressful, and just recounting it caused her to rub at her temples. After Erwin had left her home, she was stuck with a million-and-one things to re-evaluate in her mind, and even more things to dwell on for the future.

One could say it was an honor to be gifted the chance to have a suitor hand-picked by Commander Erwin. He did seem to be a pretty strong and influencial man, after all, but was that really alright? Being arranged to marry a man that she hadn't even met yet?

Albeit, sure, Erwin had informed her that the man would be going out on an important mission soon, and thus wasn't able to bridge the gap to Krolva, but, still...

"Hah..." Ada breathed a hefty sigh, mind swirling with the heavy feelings of what was due to become day-to-day. Maybe she shouldn't have been thinking about it so hard - after all, currently she was adorned in her uniform, Garrison emblem displayed proudly on the front, sleeve, and back for all to see. Her initial goal was to take the time to explore the walls of the district she would be responsible for protecting and overseeing. She would think, since she wouldn't be meeting this 'fiancee' for some time, she should at least be focusing on the 'resolve' part of her problems.

' _But I can't stop thinking about it...'_ Commander Erwin had told her that it was beneficial for both parties. That it would provide them both a certain emotional stability and mental fortitude in the coming battles facing them. That maybe if they had the opportunity to have an individual they cared about back home, it would provide them the energy and will to fight harder and make it home to them.

' _It seems a little artificial... How can I fight harder for someone I don't even know?'_ And yet... From what she had been informed of, Erwin was an intelligent and capable leader. When he made a decision, his faith typically wasn't misplaced.

' _Or maybe I should just trust him...'_

"Hey!"

Ada jolted from her thoughts, turning her head around before letting her eyes fall upon an unfamiliar face. A black haired male came jogging up, raising his hand as he approached until he caught up, his likewise dark colored eyes blissfully fixed on her face as if to get a better look. He furrowed a brow for a brief moment, then spoke up promptly to hide the momentary confusion, "You're a new member to the Garrison, aren't you?"

Her head nodded, hesitance abound as though uncertain of what to expect. "How...did you know?" She hadn't even made it to post yet...

"Ahh... You really stand out - Or rather... I recognized you. Mmm... I haven't seen your face before." He fumbled with his words a bit before finally hammering down on what he really wanted to say, tipping his head away whilst attempting to sneak a peek at her expression.

Most-often, Ada would have chuckled at the semblance of awkwardness in the boy's greeting. At this moment, clouded in thought, however, she only turned her head away. ' _Better watch it... I'm apparently supposed to be getting engaged. I don't want mystery husband to get jealous...'_ Bitter... certainly, but not without good reason, right? She hadn't even realized she'd accidentally brushed him off as the two continued to stride on.

Exposed to her lack of reply, the male ran his hands up through his hair to rub awkwardly at the back of his head. His dark, potentially blue eyes were left to linger elsewhere, and awkwardness began to set in. Quickly, in attempted recovery, his hand shot out, "Name's Alarich Flynn. And you?"

"Huh..? Oh," She glanced down at his hand, offering her own to shake, "Ada Meier. Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it!" He shook it off, smiling most nonchalantly. He was just grateful that she hadn't gone and purposely ignored him there. He was already a bit socially awkward as it was, it seemed, "So. Just checking out the walls..?"

Her head nodded in response, but her eyes remained fixed ahead, continuing to explore the streets of the innermost portions of Trost. Typically she stayed more on the outskirts of her own district, where her house was located, only occasionally traveling with Lynette to Trost, but never really as deep in as when things began to get more built up and populated, "Trying to get a feel for it, I guess." Her eyes caught sight of the occasional passerbys that watched her strangely, occasionally passing glances for -what Ada had learned from Rheta in the past-, what was mostly because of her complexion. It wasn't as bothersome anymore, being she wasn't as self-conscious about it. People were typically just ignorant regarding it, so they would tend not to point fingers out of the gate, but rather just ask very... occasionally intrusive questions.

"Well this part of the district's pretty quiet. Titan activity's been known to be more around the South, though, so a lot of times you'll see people from the Garrison and a few scouts around here more often." He lowered his hands into his pockets, casting his line of sight to the sky, which appeared to be near-completely clear, "Since things are relatively peaceful, a lot of the Garrison members get to relax, but we'll probably get more active once someone decides to make a move to get Wall Maria back."

Ada listened closely. This person, for all she knew, was a member long before her, and from the sound of it, he was giving some pretty solid advice. Albeit, some of which she had heard in training camp, regarding the tendency of titans to attack the South more.

"Hey hey!" Called the gruffer voices of what sounded like more mature males.

The two younger members turned their heads, settling upon a couple of the Garrison members that all seemed to be congregated in a corner near some wall edges and boxes. "You young'uns come hang with your veterans, huh? We may teach you a think 'er two!"

Ada's nose wrinkled slightly from the aroma of alcohol, and seeing the heat-flushed faces of the men, she immediately heard Jannik's words echo in her head. _"I just heard they were a bunch of sorry, good-for-nothin' drunks."_ Her glance turned into a rather dull stare, and she raised her hand up to dismiss the offer, "No, thank you. I don't drink. Shouldn't you all be keeping alert..?"

"Alert!" One of the men laughed aloud, "Dunno what we'd be alert for if nothin' happens."

"We watch the walls," Another pitched in, leaning back and rubbing his nose before upturning his flask. He wiped his mouth promptly with his sleeve, "They ain't goin' anywhere."

Her expression grew relatively dull again, her hand rubbing around the back of her neck. She turned her head slightly, looking forward instead to evade making any unsavory expressions in their direction. "I think I'll just explore a little more."

Moving further, their howls and hollers in laughter grew ever-distant, but thankfully, the little interjection pushed her initial goal back to the forefront of her mind. Her vision was relieved of its tunnel-like qualities, and relaxing more into an exploration type feel, she took a deep breath while seeing all that the wall had to offer. It was... actually a bit peaceful, all things considered. One would imagine that with one wall compromised, the four divisions within Wall Rose would be chaotic.

It wasn't perfect... Occasionally upon shifting her head in either side in her visions, she would catch sight of a very clear display of poverty, but in the world they were living in since the titan's breaching, it was just a miracle to be alive.

Feeling something bump against her foot, the dark eyed girl turned her attention down, seeing a young girl looking back at her with large hazel eyes and somewhat shaggy brown hair, "Sorry, miss." She backed away quickly with a morsel of food between her hands, but the purity in her large eyes forced an unsteady smile to grow onto Ada's face.

Before she knew it, she was patting the girl gently on the head, "It's okay, don't worry about it." She offered a cheery tone, causing the girl to smile from the comfort. Quickly, the child latched onto the tall girl's leg to offer a quick hug, then began to run back out of the way.

' _I love you.'_ She thought, coiling her fingers in against her shirt collar as if attempting to restrain herself from an actual verbal outburst.

Perhaps this was just the start, but it was a reality shift. That little girl had friends, maybe siblings, perhaps a family, who had friends, so-on and so-forth. All of them contently living in the wall, struggling with their own hardship, and attempting to do something better for themselves.

Her eyes traveled towards a mother gently holding her child's hand, carefully leading them through the streets, and beside them, a few merchants attempting to show their wares, but winding up exchanging well-placed jokes after a successful attempt at bartering. A woman passing through with who was assumed to be her husband holding tightly to her hand. It appeared she was with child...

To them, it wasn't about walls and branches, kills and assists, or any of that... To them, this was just life - helplessly living within defenses put up by the people who could actually fight for them.

Her hand rested on her cheek, her eyes dazing out as she stared out distantly, lost in thought.

Oh, that was strange... When did she start tearing up?

"Ada," Alarich called, catching up after exchanging a few words with the older Garrison members a ways back. "The others think it would be a good idea to show you up on the walls - that fine with you- ..Eh.." His curious eyes wandered, his weight leaning to his front foot to try peering over and getting a good view of her face. "Ah! Is... Is everything alright!?"

"Hum..?" She glanced over, eyes still wide and face still afflicted by the touch of feeling that had risen in her heart just a moment ago, "Oh I um.. I'd love to see the wall..." She quickly sniffled, attempting to keep it covert as not to cause more worry.

Further in, past Wall Rose, and within the barrier that was Wall Sina, Lynette entered into a small office. She let herself in as she had been instructed. There were a few members in the room that seemed to likewise carry the Military Police emblem on their jackets, causing Lynette to assume they were most-likely higher ups in some way.

"Commander Nile, sir," She addressed respectfully, waiting for when she would be given the opportunity to take her seat, and when allowed, did so in front of him.

The male seemed to be looking over a briefing of the graduate in front of him, his head tipping back appraisingly with no particular interest in his eyes. The fourth ranking graduate in the Western Division, instructed by Gisela Keller... His neck rolled around awkwardly around his shoulders at the view of that name, but he quickly adjusted his disposition back to the collected one he fronted.

His expression changed, however, as his narrowed eyes lowered to catch sight of the bottom of the paper. A graduate that came with a recommendation? Since when?

He glanced up slowly, placing the papers face-down on the desk whilst looking straight ahead to the girl sitting affront him.

She was absent-mindedly waiting by, hands in her lap and eyes viewing the room curiously like a child that had just been exposed to something new. The brunette, upon seeing he was now looking to her, glanced up, offering a smile that seemed quite goofily out of place in the given circumstances. Well - she didn't look too special, especially compared to the second ranking Johanne Kraus that had passed through the same office a little while ago. So why did this one come marching in bearing a recommendation..?

They passed through the same instructor, came from the same division, both originating from the Krolva District, but graduate Kraus scored higher... So why...?

"Commander Nile..?" Lynette spoke up, curiosity wound into her clearly confused face as she tilted her head to the side.

' _What are you up to, Erwin..?'_

 **A/N: Yeah. What are you up to Erwin. YOUR PLOTTING AND SCHEMING IS SHOWING. or maybe ur just being really nice. Who knows.**


	10. Chapter 10: Breach

**A/N: FIRST DAYS ALL AROUND! C'mon precious beans, you can do it! Go in there and show them all what you're made of forrealsies!**

 **Ada's headed to do some work in the Garrison! Fight hard, be strong! Like.. idk. Just enjoy the cute few.**

The dark-haired girl raised her hand to lie over her eyes to keep the sunlight from her eyes. The view from up on the walls was pretty beautiful: sun shining down on the district, and from up at that height, everything seemed to stand out so clearly.

"You like it up here, Ada?" Alarich questioend after a while, placing his hands down into his pockets whilst matching her admiring stare with his own.

"Mm," She nodded her head, only turning away from the view to notice a couple of the other Garrison members walking along the walls, some carrying things, others holding mild, casual conversation with one another.

As her field of vision circulated, it fell specifically on some abnormalities in the distance. Her hand dropped from her eyes whilst her head tipped curiously to the side. Dots in the distance? It was hard to make out from so far off, but they had quite the dynamic way of moving. She could only guess they were other members or something adhering to some tasks.

"Those're the grads from the 104th training squad in the Southern Division," A girl clarified, her caramel brown hair being ruffled by the blowing winds, "It's not time for their division to submit their waves of applications yet, so they're performing some busy work 'til then."

Poor guys. Yet, at the same time, she couldn't help but let thoughts wander to the alternative questions: _'Does this mean I'm technically their senior..? Or...'_

"They're just scrubbing the walls," She clarified, "But they sure do make a ruckus." Her hand smoothed her hair, and her mouth opened to utter an almost dramatic sigh whilst she began to walk on. Just as she had said, the lot of them seemed to be shouting and making a ruckus about something or another in that moment.

"They really are loud..." A bead of sweat dripped down Ada's cheek. Should she maybe pay them a visit..? She did know them somewhat after all, even if she hadn't spent nearly as much time conversing. Maybe a little encouragement..? And, there was also Jean.

She hesitated, then began to advance over to them, only to slam on breaks at the sight of a little view obstruction.

Her vision shot down to the edge of the wall, where she could have sworn she was beginning to see a small cloud of fog-like substance rising up. It was too spotty to be that, and too thin to be smoke - _'Is that...steam..?'_ Abruptly, in tow with a blindingly harsh flash of light, the output rose, steam clouds forcing themselves up in an enormous wave that sent heat and strong breezes gusting down over the top of the walls. She rose up her arm, the crook of her elbow and forearm over her to block the access to her face.

Even through the material of both her uniform shirt and the jacket atop it, she could still feel the heat lash against her skin, and had to widen her stance to stay put. Though she couldn't see at that moment, the lighter colors of a bright flash could be recognized through her shut eyes.

Amidst the obstruction she managed to peer over her arm, seeing one of the distant figures move into attack as the steam begin to thin, only to find that there was nothing in the place where the class of titan known as the Colossal Titan once stood. "How does something like that just... disappear..!?" She asked herself aloud at a nearly inaudible tone. It shouldn't have been possible. Thinking about it so much, however, caused her feet to feel heavy, rooted in place.

It was the first time she had ever seen a titan, let alone one so enormous...

Her legs began to shake, heaviness overtaking her as she thought about just what this could mean - just what she could be facing. The Colossal Titan... wasn't it responsible for having seized Wall Maria for the titans? Now, it was appearing here..? Her eyes began to grow lighter out of fear, tense body shivering harshly whilst her mind wrapped around itself lost in thought until she could hear Alarich's voice shout out from further behind her -

"THERE'S A BREACH!"

History was repeating itself.

Ada's mind was spinning in several different directions, head shifting and eyes growing wide from the sheer panic that she was suddenly surrounded by as the soldiers of the branch shot up into action.

"Secure the walls and set the cannons!" The caramel haired girl spoke up, directing her hand to send the soldiers in their given direction. She motioned to another group of soldiers in view, "Round up the citizens and have them evacuate, and someone get word to the higher ups about this!"

"Yes!" They spoke up, each of them going about their duties, and many of them leaving the walls with their gear. Many other soldiers were grouping together to set the cannons in preparation, whilst groups of them began fleeing down the side of the wall in order to try relaying word of this to other soldiers and the higher ups.

Ada's eyes rose, circulating the once peaceful view once more, only this time, one could hear the loud shrieks of the people over everything, only occasionally being encompassed by the sounds of large thuds from the incoming titans. All of those people she had just mentally affirmed to protect, and the breach happens right after? Her heart sank in her chest, and for a moment, amongst the swirling screams and displays of utter brutality by the monsters upon them, she lost track of everything else.

"Meier!" One of the women of the Garrison shouted, attempting to get her attention and hopefully direct her to something, since for some time she seemed to be standing there awe-stricken. It was to be expected. It was her first day, not even officially, given this was more or less a tour to get her acquainted, and she's greeted with the worst possible scenario.

Before the woman could speak up and accurately gain her attention, however, Ada left the wall, surfacing back with the assistance of her gear.

Sliding her foot back in placement, Ada's heel gripped the top edge of the wall, sending her barreling out into the city. She couldn't explain this - and if she were to get in trouble for it, she would have to be honest once her senses came back into focus. She was acting on adrenaline, every ounce of her body writhing with fear and demanding to retreat, but the weight of the pressure was pushing her relentlessly forward toward a goal that wasn't even mentally present enough to understand herself. Like her mind had to wait and work with what her body gave it.

"Should I-"

Alarich's beginning claim was quickly shut down as the caramel-haired woman firmly shook her head, "Don't worry about her! If we focus on the cannonfire, we can try putting a limit on the titans that trickle into the city!" Along with other Garrison soldiers, they began to fire the cannons, rains of projectiles crashing down into the oncoming titans.

"Ma'am, they aren't-" The sentiments were severed once more as the desperate Garrison soldiers were led to raise their firepower.

There were just so many, and each cannon was supplemented by more incoming titans, missed shots, and the already present ones beginning to regenerate due to the vital point of their nape being untouched. At this rate...

Holding the edge of the cannon, and closing his ears just after firing, Alarich quickly shifted his head back to his superior. His dark eyes were lighter and bluer, glossed over by an involuntary wetness as he struggled to pose his question, "Aren't we just... delaying them a little..?"

The woman roughly slapped the back of his head, a gesture considered unnecessary, perhaps, "Just focus on the canons!" However, pushing his attention back forward, the woman's brow furrowed deeply, a troublesome expression coming across her face to mask her own heavy panic, _'The Survey Corp. is the branch that's most adept in handling combat of titans... With them off on their expedition... that leaves the Garrison alone.'_

"Damn..!" She shifted, peering off towards the other side where the fresh graduates were once cleaning. It seemed like they were called to assembly. That was good. Any chance they had to survive this, or better, succeed in this mess, relied on everyone being orderly.

Contrary to this notion, as the titans began to trickle in slow, barely presented streams, Ada, still wide-eyed, hooked her blade around her hand, swapping it off to her alternate hand's grip and slicing one of the titans that had come through her line of vision, completely unaware of her limbs or restraints. The pressure was granting her the uninhibited strength of adrenaline, and as the titan fell crashed down, one could see from the irregularly deep cut at its nape that this was an immeasurable benefit.

"She's going to wear her blades," One of the superiors mused aloud, and as the groups were dismissed in their place, one squad assembled in her direction, attempting to support her whilst simultaneously taking full advantage of her state.

Ada's eyes reached back to check the corner at her back, seeing the blurs in movements of others reaching out to her aid. Upon recognizing this was friendly assistance, rather than more incoming titans, she offered a subtle breath, her shaking in her hands quelling slightly. No one was interested in briefing or instructing, only offering her help in defeating some of the titans in her current area.

At that moment, one spoke out, a dark brown haired male that, by the looks of his thick facial hair, was by many years her veteran, "Don't stop on my account!" He hollered, waving over to her, "But watch your strikes - you'll dull your blade, and where'll that get ya?!"

 _'Dull my blade..?'_ Ada quickly shifted her head around to the bodies of titans that were disintegrating into vapor around her, much more than she had originally assumed. By her movements and partial loss of conscious-actions, she would assume she had taken out two, maybe three, but the bodies of five titans of mainly smaller meter classes were sprawled on the ground beneath her. Taking in the damage done, she could see the impacts to the nape, much deeper than necessary and having been cut with a swipe much stronger than intended. Even the other portions of their bodies were swarmed with cuts along their shoulders and arms as if she had stricken them indiscriminately in her blind attack. Her eyes took to her blade. It was still sharp, but from now on she would have to be careful. She nodded her head firmly adding a loud, "Yes, sir" for measure - after all, not many could afford to turn their heads from the impending threat.

"Our job is about to get harder!" One woman called, swiveling from her stance on the roof top to take notice of what was occuring at the rear, "The advance guard is already decimated!" The advance guard. They were supposed to have been taking on the titans directly from the breach and outside - it hadn't even been long since they were assembled.

Ada's eyes suddenly widened, a catch by her peripheral that it appeared the others hadn't yet notice. Propelling herself with the fuel fan, she attached a line, shooting forward, to try neutralizing the approaching threat whilst calling, "Look out!" A 15 meter titan raising up from behind her to set its sights on her place upon the roof.

The short haired blonde shifted her head, eyes growing wide at the sudden threat she was alerted to. Her feet swiveled to break away, at the likewise time that Ada had gone in to attempt to make the cut. The dark haired girl stopped, seeing the mustached veteran had sped past her to assist, only for the titan's hand to swiftly grip him whilst he propelled forward on the line he had made.

Her eyes widened, her body lurching to a complete halt. No, she couldn't be freezing, not now. ' _Please, not now!'_ Her heart began to race, her speed picking up once more as she raced forward. She was much more conscious this time, focused on every passing moment of her action and feeling her body wanting to hesitate. Tears breached the lower lids of her eyes, though she quickly blinked them away to evade obstruction, delivering the necessary cut at a much more acceptable level of exerted strength.

The blood that emitted from the cut gave her more relief than fear, and despite it getting onto her clothes and skin, she was just happy she could-

Her eyes once more grew light and clouded. A Titan's blood... it evaporated - so then this...

As the titan fell, its hand came unclenched, the veteran unmoving from what appeared to be an inhumanly strong compression, and the other from the titan's bite, made solidified by the way the goliath's chin smashed against the ground.

Her breath hiked, her body beginning to feel as if it were going into panic mode from hyperventilation. As if in a twitch, her eyes began to shift and stop, pick up and go, taking in all that was happening around her. The squad she had somehow wound up in the middle of fighting, and while she would hate to slow them down or force them to protect her in her current state, she couldn't will herself to move. It was expected of a trainee, a fresh graduate. It was her first taste of this world they saw - this hellish place.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion to her - screams filling her ears and soldiers being snatched from the air, eaten right in front of her, dropped to the ground and trampled like insects. By this point she could practically feel her heartbeat echoing in her own ears, drowning out the sounds of her surroundings, and her vision was beginning to blur. Every wild action of gliding soldiers and crashing titans, fallen buildings and spurting blood streaming into one another as her eyes glazed slightly.

' _I can't do this anymore... I-I can't...'_

"Hey!" One of the squad members called, eyes wide with fear. She was just as terrified, if not more so than Ada, literally attempting to catch the darker complected girl's attention, all while her eyes glossed with the threat of tears, "We need your help!" The girl hadn't the slightest idea why Ada had gone from some titan killing machine to terrified and frozen, but it was proving to be a dent in their capabilities. "Please!" She practically screamed, titans amassing in greater numbers than before.

Ada senses returned all at once, and before she realized it, she was already taking to the air again. ' _I don't know what I'm doing.. I.. I don't-'_ Her breath hiked, but attempting feebly to steel herself, her upper row of teeth bit down hard onto her bottom lip to try silencing any outward verbalizing of her doubt, and likewise hope the shock of pain would remove that same doubt from her thoughts. She didn't know what she could offer, but freezing in place or contemplating her role in all of this would have to wait until the fighting was done. ' _We're making it out of here alive.'_ She didn't know if that was true or not, really... but it took reaffirming it within herself to hopefully believe it.

* * *

"I originally live in the Krolva District of Wall Rose, but the only other occupant is going to be enlisting among the branches t-" Lynette moved along to continue answering the question given to her, only to let the words fade upon hearing the rough opening of the office door.

"You're late," One of the other Military Police members scoffed, reclining back in his own place whilst seemingly turning his head to release a kink in his neck.

The incoming man with long, wavy and locked blond hair, took his seat, leaning back and beginning to rub at his temples, "Trost was breached."

Lynette's fingers interlocked, wedging into her lap. Her brow furrowed deeply, looking between the members in the room. She was antsy, a little anxious at the comment, but above all confused. They were all behaving so calmly; it was as if the issue didn't bother them at all. Her lips parted to speak, hesitating momentarily as a conversation between the two began to ensue.

"Is..." She finally spoke up, shifting her expression to each member in the room, "Is this... a joke? A simulation..?"

They looked at her almost blandly, seeming either confused or disinterested, one or the other. Moreover a couple maintained an expression that most-likely was the silent equivalent to, ' _Does she really have the gaul to get involved with this conversation?'_ As if the very action of speaking up was an offense or demonstration of disrespect.

"No," The new entry spoke up, "That damned Colossal Titan did it again - broke open a spot for the other ones to get in."

That was all she needed to hear, really. The titans were flooding into the Trost District, which not only was home to who knew how many people that she had come to know in her childhood ventures, but as of now... Ada was supposed to be sent there on her first day of integration.

She placed her hands on the edges of her commander's desk, standing and pushing the chair up where it belonged.

"Where are you going?" The commander spoke up, though while not hostile, it seemed more as if he was just trying to get a handle on what she really intended to do. This girl had come to the Military Police for a reason hadn't she? To escape the conflict happening on the outside where danger was beginning to run rampant in the form of titans and breachings - so why the Hell-

"I'm going to the Trost District. I'm very sorry, and I hope you'll take my absence as respectfully as possible, but I have to go." Though her words were said in a kindly executed, almost sweet manner, her face remained as serious as just a moment ago, "But... if I may have a favor... can I use a horse?"

The other present officers past each other skeptical glances, the one that had spoken up about the others' tardiness being the first to verbalize his disagreement, "You shouldn't push your luck, kid. You're probably an hour away from being accepted into the Interior. Why don't you just keep calm, sit back down, and finish up your applying process, eh?"

Her brown eyes grew the slightest bit confrontational behind their warm front, but rather than speak ill, she merely shook her head. "I can't do that. I would love to still have the chance to be admitted, but I'm going, whether I'll be accepted or not."

She stayed firm, and though she still wished to have a horse in tow, her mind was racing to the extremes. She had mostly run to the Trost District from Krolva back in training. In the rain. This wouldn't have been nearly as difficult if it were necessary, especially with transportation within Wall Sina to be much more simple, since it was a smaller and more close-knit city formation.

Nile's hand dragged up his face, brows deeply knitting. "Leave here and look right. There's a horse in stall there."

For just a moment, the girl's eyes could be seen setting aglow. "Thank you, Commander, sir!" She nodded her head, then turned to run from the office, wasting absolutely no time whatsoever. There was no guarantee she would make it to Trost in time, especially given the fact it had already been breached. And how much time must have already passed for word to reach Wall Sina... but it didn't matter. As long as she got there. Otherwise the itch of not knowing what happened or who was still alive would have torn her apart before she could get word.

"Commander, what the hell?" One member spoke up. There was a slight buzzing of confusion amongst the small accumulation of officers in the room. It was far unlike Nile to be so agreeable in these situations. So then...

"Shut up," Nile blatantly stated, rubbing his thumb against the side of his temple. Although the officers seemed ignorant, he was far less left in the dark. It wouldn't have mattered what he would have said in that situation - whether he offered a horse or not, it wouldn't have deterred the girl from leaving. If anything, she may have just taken it on her own even if not given permission. There may have still been some things confusing about the situation, but one thing was made clear.

' _She's just like that bastard.'_ A justice-type with blindly good-moraled ideals and needlessly reckless, it would make sense for him to recommend her. He lifted her paper in his hand, scanning over it once more, then narrowing his eyes lazily upon it. If she were anything like Erwin in more ways than she had already demonstrated... having her as an officer would be a royal pain in the ass.

"Hold on..." Lynette thought aloud, pressing out through the streets and weaving through the people to reach the posts where horses seemed to be occupying in small numbers. She brushed her hand against its snout, and sensing her intentions, its head rose to meet her halfway - it was agreeable, and well-trained it seemed. She mounted just as quickly as she had arrived, gripping the reigns around her hands and wasting no time in pushing forward, "I'll get there."

 **A/N: Ahhh... Yeah. First days all around. None of them going particularly well.**

 **Now for all of you that are curious: Ada's main ability does lie in her adrenaline. It'll be explained further later, if you'd prefer it there, but I'll brief you.**

 **Her training is rooted into her head, much like muscle memory and instinct. When fear and adrenaline sets in, her body starts to move almost on its own, while her mind kind of takes a back seat - unless that fear is just overcoming. By this, I mean, if this level of fear would usually render most people immobile, she'll most likely black out and act on instinct alone, like the Fight or Flight response on steroids.**

 **But she DOES indeed suffer the usual backlashes of adrenaline, and there are some other drawbacks that will make themselves known as the story progresses.**

 **Hope that's all clear for you, melodies~!**

 **Thank you for reading and supporting, I'll see you sooooon~!**


	11. Chapter 11: Breach Pt 2

Chapter 11

 **A/N: Whoooo! So here's another chapter of Indisposable~! It was originally known as Love, Truth, and Tragedy, for you guys that seem confused. No, you're not crazy!**

 **Things are getting crazy as Trost is breached and it's about to go DOWN DOWN DOOOOWN~!**

 **Keep reading to see what happens!**

It was like progress took a harsh brake. Although titans were still being defeated, the sheer numbers of the enormous humanoids that walked the interior of the town was beginning to overpower the fighting humans at terrifying rates. Members of the trainee corp and Garrison alike were being picked off and left for dead, littering the streets and rooftops - humanity was far from prepared for this possibility. With the first collapse in Wall Maria, the people were expected to believe that all was okay. That the military had learned from such a tragedy, and would take the necessary measures and precautions to ensure that everyone would be safe as those years progressed.

Looking down at this massacre, however, it was clear to see the only thing they could do now was raise their blades and fight a feeble war they couldn't hope to win.

 _ **Crash!**_

Ada's body took a harsh drop to the rooftop, knees skidding roughly across the layering and damaging portions of the material under her sloppily descending body.

If numbers and morale hadn't tanked enough, after those five titans were cut down by Ada, her body had begun to give already. Adrenaline was a great gift in a pinch, blessing her with the speed and strength she needed to get the job done, and even providing her with a sheer raise of her senses and reaction time. Where such a benefit lied, however, so existed just as extreme a drawback.

' _I feel so weak,'_ She began then in her mind, hands gripping around her thighs that tingled and wavered from exhaustion. Every brush of her fingertips against her skin was a feeling of dulling sensitivity, like an indication that her tiring was beginning to dull her senses.

She part her lips to try inhaling steadily, but it was more like a panicked vacuum of air. She attempted to keep her dark eyes from wandering - the more they did, the more she would just feel herself panic again. She had managed to offer some assists in the time she stuck with her given squad, and she followed orders well, but the act of making a lethal cut was beginning to feel too taxing.

Her job had been downgraded to little more than providing distraction slices to the heel, back of the knee, and other joints to try limiting mobility and averting the goliaths' attention. Even that, now, was growing difficult.

Ada's leg straightened and she boosted herself up to her feet. She thought she was fine in the beginning. She thought she could hold out for much longer - but this fight for survival was pushing back harder, and dragging on for longer than she could have ever anticipated.

"Are you hurt!?" The blonde squad member, -that Ada had learned from cooperating together was called Nicole-, dropped down affront her, keeping an eye out for danger whilst awaiting a reply.

"No no, I'm fine." There was no time to waste on being tired. Ada pushed her palm onto the roof and forced herself up to her feet, legs shaking under the weight of her body being reapplied so soon, but she simply adjusted the way her feet angled to try taking off some of the pressure.

"Things are getting bad - really bad. I think they're going to schedule a retreat."

As Nicole spoke, Ada took a quick survey of her surroundings - titans flooding in as before, looking to be at multiple points in the district. Several members of their temporary squad had left with an untimely demise. Even the much more experienced Garrison members that she called her seniors had suffered greatly from the play on endurance. Not just that, but even if their body could sustain much longer or more taxing battle for the time being, their gear could only function with as much fuel as it could hold, and right now, she wasn't sure just how much was still accessible to her.

Ada's eyes caught sight of multiple groupings of trainees and some spotty Garrison members taking refuge at the tops of roofs, huddled at their peaks to keep at higher ground. "What are they doing..?"

"Trying to keep away and lay low..." The blonde shifted her head, looking around at all of them once more. She placed her hand against her own gear, brows twisting deeply together out of distress, "The supply team never arrived... S-so..." The thought of what came next was proving too much for the girl, seeing as she appeared to be just as delicate before this development. Ada waved her off, efficiently silencing her.

It didn't take much to put together the rest. If the supply team never arrived, then they would soon run out of fuel. ' _What happened to them!? Did they just abandon the job..?'_ She felt like she should have been seething at the very idea, but Ada couldn't help but feel more concern than anything. For a supply team to just never arrive, there had to have been something else that caused it, and beyond that, without the supply team, they would surely all...

After fiercely shaking her head, she began focusing sharply before coming across what she had just been informed that day was the HQ.

"Oh no..."

It was swarming with titans from top to bottom, all of them trying to reach through or peer in, or something of the like. Ada's heart skipped a beat - what were they supposed to do about it..? If they couldn't get there, they couldn't fuel up, and with the little fuel they had now, they wouldn't be able to clear out the titans surrounding it. What... were they supposed to do..? Just die before or after watching everyone else be killed? Her hand clasped over her stomach and gripped desperately at the exposed white uniform shirt beneath the various straps from her harness, the gut-wrenching feeling causing her stomach to knot up tightly.

"Hold on, what's-" At that abrupt moment, the two turned their heads towards seated groups, the rooftop full of people propelling off and away.

"What the-" Nicole piped up, staring wide-eyed with her large amber eyes. She had no idea what to say, or how to respond, and it likewise caused her words to just fall out of her mouth, "What are.. they doing.!? What do we do?" Her breath hiked, and slowly, her gaze exchanged with Ada's likewise large dark eyes.

Wasn't this blonde a Garrison member for a while? Probably at least three years her senior, and she was asking a rookie what to do? The uncertainty caused a chain reaction, as Ada began to stammer incoherently.

The two's feeble attempts at speaking both severed immediately as one amongst the charging group could be seen dropping into a downward spiral, straight towards the ground, as if all of her fuel had suddenly drained. Judging by the wild movements she made with the maneuvering gear, it could be assumed that that was exactly what happened. What were they trying to do?

"I'm sorry!" The blonde abruptly spoke up. It seemed like as things had begun to get more confusing, but ultimately calm down in terms of the influx of titans, she had found her words, "I shouldn't have been putting pressure on you." Her hand clutched over her chest, gripping a bunch of her shirt in a shaking fist, "I'm your superior! I can't behave like that..!" She sputtered out quickly, lowering deeply as if to show her full remorse for her actions. It was clear that the adrenaline was beginning to run out for Nicole as well. As her feelings quelled, and the lot of titans seemed to grow more interested in the HQ, things were seeming safer for them, causing rationality to return to her.

The abrupt nature of the apology caused Ada to jolt out of surprise. She took a step back, then steadied her breathing a tad, hand on her still- weak-legs as she nodded, "It's fine..." She placed a hand in her curly locks, exhaling softly whilst watching her feet, "Everyone gets scared... So don'-"

A large shockwave seemed to occur, the feeling of the roof rocking viciously, and sending Ada's body wavering and shifting from the apparent impact. The feeling of warmth spattered across her clothing and skin caused her head to snap up, and eyes to immediately seek out Nicole. She was fearing the worst... and it was exactly what she found. The large, partially gripping palm of the titan had smashed into the roof, just overtop of where the blonde senior had been standing. The impact seemed to crush her immediately, leaving only a blonde tuft poking out in an otherwise unrecognizable heap of red and rubble. Every other titan, even larger ones that passed by all seemed to view them at the top of the roof, then continue their march forward or towards the HQ, if not lingered nearby as if understanding the peak where they stood was too high to reach.

Regardless, the darker complected girl took a step back, seeing the titan drag its hand back down over the edge, leaving harsh trails of crimson in its place as Nicole's corpse was dragged back over the lower edge of the roofing.

' _An... abnormal...'_ It had to have been. From the looks of it, it had returned to flat footing on the ground, and the top of its head could barely be seen breaching past the height of the lower roof fascias. It jumped to reach then... So this titan had the physical stability to do at least that much... So Ada would have to fight again. The rookie gripped her blade, raising up on her exhausted legs and readying herself to strike, though her form shook seemingly from the inability to even carry her own bodyweight. The titan eyed her from its place beneath the roof, its large optics taking in her trembling form and worry-stricken face.

"I-I have no choice.. but to..." Despite the nausea creeping in, she was aware that if she would survive, she had no choice but to continue fighting.

The titan looked ready to leap again, but right as its body dipped down beneath the outer edge of the roof's line of sight to ready itself, a loud sound echoed through the district. It was booming and distorted, sounding nothing like any human would be capable of. Her eyes stayed focused on where the titan had disappeared to, only once darting up to survey the source, but when she caught sight of the phenomena, it became impossible to look away.

Her body was freezing all over again, perhaps not from becoming petrified, but more so in complete shock and awe.

The cause of her immobility looked like a titan, but darker and more distinct, with features she had never seen before. Its body looked far more coordinated, and the motions it took almost seemed to be exacted with purpose. Instead of darting around aimlessly with little to no purpose outside of typical destructive properties, it seemed to momentarily gather its bearings before beginning a rampage.

Titan bodies could be seen punched, kicked, blasted away by sheer strength, and an unnaturally human-esque style of combat. Now titans could... learn?! Was that what had taken place? They could barely handle the apparent mindless titans with the occasionally appearing abnormal, and now they were expected to battle something with the control and physical movement of a trained human being? It was just too much - but then... It was also true that its current actions weren't that of an enemy. It was actually behaving quite contrarily - quite erratically in theory...

"A titan..?!" Ada thought aloud, "Fighting... other titans..?!"

"Hey!"

The outward exclamation caught the rookie's attention, causing her dark eyes to widen, then dart back to the edge of the roof. The titan she had been watching under the roof...it was gone? Frantically, she twisted and shifted, looking around to try catching sight of it, but it wasn't until a few moments had passed that she noticed it was occupied, dining on Nicole whilst making slow strides in the direction of the strange abnormal.

"Over here!"

Ada turned her head back at the second beckoning, seeing an older man flagging her down to catch her attention, "Return to the wall!" He shouted through a cupped hand, "It's a retreat!" Ada's head to tore away to him, then momentarily back to the stain of red that spattered over the gable of the roof, "But..." She shook her head, sympathy bridging her features - everyone else... was...

"I-I'm..." Ada turned her head back to the older man, hand raising high to acknowledge his presence, "I'm almost out of fuel!"

The man dove down, lifting her before making his return. She surveyed cautiously once more whilst in his grasp, seeing that other members were beginning to return to the walls as well. "We don't know what the Hell that thing is - but it's not what we signed up for..." The man muttered under his breath.

"It was fighting other titans," Ada spoke again, turning to peer over his shoulder as they retreated. She could feel her body relaxing, and heaviness, as well as soreness began brimming in her muscles, "And... they weren't on his side either, it looked like.. They... They tried to eat it..!"

"What the Hell? Are you serious?!" The man touched down against the edge of the wall, placing Ada, who gripped onto the wall borders.

"Mm... I saw it myself... It could have gone after the others, but... it...didn't."

The superior kept quiet, turning to cast his line of sight over towards the titan in question that continued to behave as the darker complected rookie had reported. It was taking out titans left and right, sending them out with various strongly packed punches, kicks, bites and other such strikes that sent small and large titans alike crumpling to the ground. It was unbelievable - beyond that, it was impossible..! Despite those apparent issues, it appeared to be the only thing keeping them safe. It was suddenly pushed into a rough spot, several titans joining to restrain and begin attempting a feast, but it was much harder to see all the details from her current location on the wall.

With the border of the wall to help support her weight, Ada began to trace the perimeter of the district, her curiosity posing serious demands that she didn't think twice to heed. If there was to be any information to be gained in seeing this creature, she wanted to know. Though the trek completely around would be both too hefty a task and too dangerous in her current state, she found a nice place to see better than before.

' _The HQ is completely cleared out...'_ All of the titans that were there before had been gone for little while, and the abnormal didn't stop there: any wanderers were being put down back to back. ' _This is...'_ Ada's breath caught in her throat, the sting of her eyes. Everything could have been lost to them, and suddenly this strange occurrence granted mercy, it was certainly nothing short of, ' _...a miracle...'_

"LINE UP!" In the distance, Ada could hear this command being loudly given, a grouping of soldiers falling into line -albeit almost hesitantly- to heed it.

Ada squinted, but she couldn't quite make out exactly who this was. At the way everyone behaved so rapidly, she could only assume that this was a superior - an officer than most-likely ranked high and/or worked beneath the Garrison's commander. The question was, what was he calling them to order for? Everything was beginning to work out. ' _Possibly... getting rid of the straggler titans.'_ At the thought, Ada's head reeled back to take a wide gaze at the full of the walls' tops, marking her previous location where she would assume Alarich and the others still were armed with their cannons, then to the various groupings of dots of soldiers in the distance. They eventually traced back around to the featured abnormal, but quickly resorting to a double-take, she squinted to see that it was now nowhere to be found.

"What...w-where..?" Her head reeled around, and eventually when leaning forward and shifting her line of sight, her eyes came back to the group of soldiers and the higher up that assembled them. They were descending from the wall - ' _Are they going to that titan..? What's...'_

"Down that way!" It was the old man that had helped her out of harm's way. Ada turned toward him after snapping away from her internal thoughts, then looked to where he directed her, "Over the wall. The others are escaping there. You need to rejoin and wait there." She was about to protest - but she immediately resisted the urge. It would have just been adrenaline talking anyway. She was too tired to move efficiently, and her mind and heart were both still racing; couple that with the fact that she was still just a rookie, and she had the makings of fodder at best.

"R-right..." Though she took the given directions, she couldn't help but peer over her shoulder as she went. It was something to be curious about after all... but it could wait. If it were that important to the whole of humanity, word would spread.

 **A/N: Ouu... It's going down it's going down. Dun Dun Dunnn~! Actually. It's went down. Thankfully our little Ada made it to safety and Lynette is marching headfirst into a warzone. What will happen?!**

 **Also. RIP Nicole.**

 **FUN FACT: I made Nicole with the express purpose of killing her off among others. I just gave her a name off of whim.**


	12. Chapter 12: Resolution

**A/N: Hello my lovelies! I almost feel like this is far from the type of story I'm supposed to be writing during the Holiday Season LOL. But I'm pushing on it hard anyway!**

When did the gravity hit her..? She couldn't really name an exact moment. Sometime when walking into the gathering of troops seeking refuge, when being greeted with re-tellings of the hell the limited amount of remaining soldiers had experienced, and when bearing witness to their dead, ghastly expressions, she felt her body begin to lock up. It was crushing; her first experience as a true soldier for humanity, and it was the feeling of having everything she never knew she had being ripped away from her.

Her face slowly began to appear sickly, her dark eyes hollowing out and becoming momentarily lost. No matter how much she tried to direct her thoughts away, all she could see when she closed her eyes was carnage.

Was this what it felt like to wind down from a rush of adrenaline?

Her shaking hand struggled to break away from its place long enough to rest against her stomach, which she gripped tightly through the cloth of her shirt. It was still tight - not just from soreness, but every time she could feel herself relive what she had just witnessed.

"Hah..." her breath attempted to regulate, but it was proving difficult. Her walking pace slowed to nothing, as she hoped just a moment's pause would be enough to prevent potential hyperventilation-

"Ada!"

She jolted immediately and whirred around, coming face to face with what would normally be less than a pleasant sight - "Jean..?"

"I didn't even know you were here," He quickly spoke up, concern in his voice, despite his own state of thought not being at its best. His brows furrowed deeply as he looked her over like a concerned older sibling, though he appeared to take note of the blood that soaked the dark of her pants and -more prominently-, the white of shirt, "Are you hurt..?!"

"What..?" For a moment Ada has lost track of her words. She shook her head quickly, then looked down at her own feet, though the sight of blood immediately diverted them back up to meet her friend's own, "Oh I... no... This..." Her hand tightened against her stomach, brows furrowing deeply, "It's not... mine." In the moment, Ada was due to receive a sympathetic head pat via Jean, but her body viciously jerked away before given the chance. She ran, leaving him standing there concerned as she pushed herself into the dividend between close homes, away from other soldiers.

Her hand dragged down the edge of the wall, her whole body rocking and swaying in a cold sweat whilst jerking and heaving with every labored breath until a harsh wave of a nausea alleviated her gagging by emptying the minuscule contents of her stomach.

Disgusting... She hated throwing up.

She emitted a low, quiet growl-like sound that came from aggravatedly clearing her now hot and burning throat while she dragged the back of her wrist against her mouth. Her breath was still heavy and erratic, and her body still felt weak, but regardless of what it didn't do, it did manage to help a great deal with that sickening feeling twisted up in her gut.

Still, the rest just wouldn't quit. What would it take... to get those vivid pictures out of her head..? To block those memories so that she didn't have to experience them running through her head on repeat. Were they expected to get used to this..?

"Ada - Why the Hell..." Jean was prepared to pester, insisting on an answer to why she suddenly ran, but his question already received an answer. His expression softened with likened empathy. Frankly, this was why he had made such a big deal about them appearing in the Southern Training camp. It was why he had blatantly made such a big deal about their enrollment in general - Lynette and Ada did things together. Sure, that made things a little better, and yeah this was for a good cause, and all... but in his mind, the two had minds that weren't ready to experience real life, let alone the difficult reality that many much older couldn't even accept.

He looked away, searching for the delicacy require to handle such a tough situation. "Come sit down over here..." Clearly, he didn't find it, as all he could really do after the long pause in between sentiments was offer her a chance and place to calm her frayed nerves. The trainee guided her cautiously into sitting with the other Southern Division trainees -seeing as the members of her own had already gone to their respective branches, or were awaiting acceptance-, where she took a seat wedged between he and Marco.

"I'm fine, Jean..." She waved her hand and offered this half strength lie to evade any further displays of concern. After all, they had seen the same things she had, right?

"Shut up," He grumbled in reply. He wouldn't be hearing any excuses, especially not obviously half-assed ones like the one she had just tried to pass off. Although Ada and Jean's bond wasn't quite as strong as the friendship between he and Lynette, it was easy to see that there was still a semblance of care there, and more so in the rough times.

Lifting a canteen, he held it over, shaking it so that one could hear the contents of water that shook around on the inside, "Drink this... Get that taste outta your mouth."

Without putting up any more of a fight, the Garrison rookie accepted it, drinking as she uttered a quiet, "Thank you..." It was a nice contrast to the acidic burn of heaving, but even with that little victory, she couldn't help but feel her eyes began to water up again.

' _I never... want to go back out there again.'_

Of course that was an impossible whim, and given the current crisis, it appeared that life already had other plans in the books for her on this one.

A thunderous booming echoed through the air, drawing everyone's attention up to the sky in unsteady combinations of fear, wonder, and general anticipation. There was only one thing that would make that kind of sound, but why would it be now that everything had begun to settle..?

"Cannonfire?"

"What the Hell?"

A couple of the confused outcries from the surrounding troops and trainees could be heard above the chatter, combined with the underlying murmurs and snivels from those still recuperating from their initial run-in with the giants.

The hands Ada had gripping the bottle of water began to shake and clamor again, her eyes never bothering to take a glance at the sky. Her stress was exuding evasively - her mind attempting to avoid revisiting that dark place, and as a result, attempting to avoid all things that tied to it. It wouldn't work; she knew that already, but the attempt provided her an empty comfort.

"Troops! PULL IN AND ASSEMBLE."

Needless to say even that wouldn't last for long.

The order call to attention came from a man with heavy facial hair, and what looked to be either a stressed or tired look in his eye. Either way, he seemed tired and nervous, like even his position hadn't protected him from experiencing the horrors in Trost. One could even say it looked like his inhibited horror went beyond even that of the surviving troops. "The commander wants to address you soldiers!"

' _The commander..?'_ The situation had escalated that badly..? Ada's stomach churned again, but thankfully the nausea of before kept itself at bay.

"We need you put on reserve," Jean spoke up in hush. It was more like thinking aloud, but that plot would remove Ada from any of the further action in Trost, so long as she displayed signs of being incapable of fighting to her fullest.

It was a good idea in theory, but it was causing unrest in Ada. It would help her escape - but it wouldn't do anything for the troops that still had to fight. She would just be leaving them with one less person to rely on... while she in-turn fled to her own personal safety. Even Jean... no matter how much he spoke back in camp about fleeing off to the Military Police, he didn't give off any signs of running away from the assembly. If he could do it... then...

"N-no, hold on..." She latched her arm onto that of rose to direct the higher-up's attention, "I'll go..."

"What?! Hold on - don't be stupid," Jean immediately shot back, though her stirred determination through the clear veil of fear silenced his arguments in favor of restricted irritation, "Fine..."

So there would be a plan to retake Trost. For the first time, humanity was due to make a counterstrike against the titans..? Was that even heard of, or moreover, was it even possible..?

' _I can't under-perform.'_ She knew that Jean would be watching her even more closely now. If she faltered, even slightly, he would realize, and that would detract him from whatever his own responsibilities may be, or his personal safety. Steeling her self-assurance, she gathered with the others, repressing the way she could feel her body twitch in an effort to begin shuddering and raising goosebumps once more.

So the next step was just to stand in waiting.

' _I honestly wish they would hurry... the longer we're idle the more time I have to think.'_ Ada mused in anxious thoughts through taxing daydreams. Despite her attention being wrapped in her own mind, however, her ears could pick up the sounds of other soldiers whispering amongst themselves.

Everyone was scared. With good reason, of course, but their vocalized doubt was becoming infectious, and the fear was beginning to spread.

"I would at least like to pick the way I die..." One girl's voice could scarcely be heard in the crowds.

Ada's form subtly lurched. This was what was going through peoples' heads? She was afraid of dying anyway, like most people were - being reminded that going through with this plan could mean almost certain death anyway was hardly the reminder than she needed. There was just... no faith... not in what was going to happen, not in the commander that would lead it... not even in themselves or one another.

"What did you just say?!"

"I was only kidding..!"

It sounded like the girl had gotten caught. Ada offered a quiet, subtle exhale - that was unfortunate; she could only imagine what kind of punishment would be given for something like that-

"Keep it up!" The man hushedly demanded, "Make as much of a ruckus as you can... Maybe then we can get the Hell out of here!"

"What." Ada inadvertently vocalized. Her eyes darted to the two, then to Jean, confusion clear in her eyes.

Like he was supposed to know... He shifted his gaze to her, then the conversation happening just in front of them. Albeit reluctantly, he spoke up, "Get out of here... and go where..?" It almost came off as though he didn't really want to know the answer. He was truly scared... His naturally abrasive nature had even taken a very obvious backseat.

"This gate is coming down whether we're here or not," the apparent higher-up clarified, terror stretching over his face, coupled with the rising dread he pumped into the atmosphere, "I want to at least spend some time with my daughter before it does!"

 _ **"ATTEEEEENTION!"**_

The sudden outburst silenced all murmuring, and everyone's heads rose to see the man standing tall atop the edge of the wall.

Call it Keller training, but Ada's back immediately stiffened, her hands placed behind her back and head risen obediently to give her full attention to this man that commanded it. She squinted, raising her hand lowering the goggle-fashioned glasses on her head to see. He looked relatively unimpressive - an older man with a touch of facial hair. Appearances aside, what looked more interesting than anything had to have been his demeanor. He looked completely calm, as if this was just a normal run-of-the-mill day.

"I will now explain our stategy to recapture Trost District!"

The moment of tru- ' _Wait...'_

Ada squint, tipping her head slightly as she focused in on the boy at the old man's side, ' _Is that... Eren..?'_ Surely they didn't talk a great deal, but they spoke enough for her to know who the boy was. He was a trainee from the Southern Division - and the one that helped take their horses when they first arrived. ' _What is...going on..?'_

"We have a way to seal the hole, but first I want to introduce you to Eren Jaeger of the Training Corps.!"

"No way.. It seriously is..?" Ada shifted her head to Jean, hoping he would be able to provide more answers on that situation, but he was just as surprised as she was. How many people had been completely left out in the dark by this..!?

"We've been conducting top secret experiments on titan transformation, and this soldier is our first success! He is able to purify the body of a titan and control it at will!"

' _What... the...'_ There's no way she could be hearing something like that right. Top secret experimentation? Eren Jaeger? Everyone seemed to be chattering with the same mix of emotions, but the one that came out on top within the crowd, beyond the disbelief - was a small glimmer of hope. Contrarily, Ada was deeply concerned. How much were the commanders hiding from them? And if this was the truth, then that distinctly abnormal titan she saw...Could that have been..?

"IT'S A LIE!"

The first outcry of doubt smothered that glimmer of hope in a moment's notice. Everyone's thoughts on what they could possibly benefit from this were immediately replaced with accusatory finger-pointing.

"This is a madhouse..." She thought aloud, seeing how many soldiers began to break away from the assembly, going off on their own, only to be met by the higher ups' threat of punishment for their unceremonious 'treachery'. At the rate they were going, their forces were going to be divided - maybe even as much as cut in half.

The longer they spent arguing amongst themselves, the longer the breach in Trost was left wide open, and the faster their window on this strategy began to close.

Once more at the peak of the confusion, the booming voice from atop the walls cut in once again to deliver his input, " _ **Upon my order, anyone who leaves right now will go unpunished!**_ " What was he doing..? He was now giving them permission to leave..? It was a compassionate gesture, but not one that would get them the long term results they needed...

"If you have given into your fear of the titans, you will never be able to stand against them again. Anyone who has succumbed to the terror of the titans should leave here! And... anyone who wants their parents, siblings, and loved ones to feel that same terror should leave as well."

' _HOW MANIPULATIVE!'_ That was the trick he was using..! And as much as Ada would love to say that it was underhanded to try sliding them kindness, only to supplement it by snatching it all right from under them, she had to admit, he was right. If the Trost District was taken, the titans would be a step closer to reaching Wall Rose, and if that gate were allowed to fall, the only place for the survivors to gather would be Wall Sina. ' _We would just be continuously pushed back... We'd lose our homes... our friends and - the survivors would have to fight for the right to survive.'_ The thought of it gave her goosebumps, but what he was explaining was correct, and everyone knew it just as well as she did. That's why they came back.

If this was what it would come down to, though... Then the lot of them would be playing distraction while a group of soldiers guarded Eren from the inside. In hindsight, it didn't sound so bad... but the added pressure of knowing it was all up to them provided a little weight to the task.

"I'm ready..." Ada murmured after a deep breath, catching the eye of Jean, who watched cautiously -despite his perpetual scowl.

"Be careful." He sternly advised.

"Yeah... of course... You too."

In the next moment, they were ready. Standing atop the walls to merely take in the gravity of their task, before they all began to sprint off to their posts. Some ran the lengths of the wall in various directions, some tried to swoop down with their gear to appear enticing enough to lure some of the stragglers.

"Lynette... She's going to think this is ridiculous when I tell her," Ada huffed, running through, and keeping a mindful eye towards the roaming titans in case danger were posed in the form of an abnormal.

To think, the first official strike-back against titans, and she would be able to tell her friend that she was a part of it. Sure, she was running around playing bait, but she could only imagine how jealous her brunette friend would be at the mention of playing such a big overall role in defending the people. That's what Ada was telling herself anyway - she was sure it was true, that wasn't the issue-, but she couldn't help but feel that nagging in the pit of her stomach telling her that she wasn't nearly as enthusiastic about this as she'd initially anticipated.

People were still dying.

The rate of survival was much higher than it seemed to be during the actual battle of Trost, but it didn't change the fact that people were still dying.

Her foot hit a sudden stop, sliding to a pause as she slowly turned upwards to face the situation at hand. Eren... he really was a titan... To just transform and be able to have something like that at will - to have such a power on humanity's side. Did that... now mean... they had a fighting chance..?!

 _ **Crash!**_

At that abrupt moment, the Titanized Eren's fist harshly collided with the same roof on which his own allies were standing.

Immediately Ada could feel a drop in her stomach, her body frozen in awe as she watched on,

"What... happened..?"

 **A/N: Ahhhh! AHHHH! yes. The Trost arc is winding down soon in this fic and it will be more focused on the character sectors in between arcs before moving on.**

 **ALSO.**

 **For all of you asking:**

 **"WHERE'S SHAME?"**

 **I will be making another chapter for that soon! I'm already working on it.**

 **"WHERE'S STAFF WARS?!"**

 **Well that story actually went through a TOTAL premise change! Don't worry, I'm still going to write it, but it's going to tie into my existing headcanonz and showcase a HUGE cast of characters - some of which already introduced on my Deviantart and some that I haven't even gotten to introducing yet. It's gonna be gigantic omg.**

 **That's still also coming soon LOL.**

 **ANYWAY! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, my melodies~! I look forward to your support and opinions~!**


	13. Chapter 13: Reunion

**A/N: Out comes Chapter 13! i'll keep my mouth shut and wait to address you at the end.**

As Ada stood, stunned and frozen in place, she could hear the mass footsteps behind her. She had pulled ahead some to sneak a peek, but...

"He turned on us..? Eren..?" That didn't even sound right coming out of her mouth. There was no way that that could have been the case, but clearly something beyond the plan that was discussed was happening. Sweat dripped down her heated cheeks, brown eyes fixated on the problems ahead. Her head reeled back for a moment, scanning the lengths of the walls to see the people luring the titans down to that end. Some were being swatted out of the air, and others were raising back up with less than they started with...

If this plan wasn't a success - then all of these people giving their lives...

"Move to the back of the group."

The warning came almost like a whisper in the wind, fast and light with no clear source to be found. Ada turned her head a few times, then glanced over towards the shorter blonde that she identified as Annie Leonhardt.

"But..." Ada began, though the shorter girl turned on her heel, looking at the Garrison rookie with her usual dull blue eyes. "Something's happening." She clarified, "If you don't want to die. _Move to the back of the group._ "

She wanted to protest Annie's claims. Their mission was to act like bait and lure the titans to the corner of the district, but... Her eyes caught sight of Eren once more, and her mind made the appropriate rationalization. If Eren wasn't able to perform his duty, then they would be dying for nothing... "Annie, I.." She didn't even know what she was going to say to the blonde. It would have been almost insulting to respond with 'thank you', because she had no idea if she would follow her advice of looking out for just herself... Either way, breaking away, Ada began to heed and return to the group. Whether she planned to 'stick to the back' or not, she would at least have to make sure no titans followed her this close to the operation.

She returned, tracing and running up the walls, then into the crowd, where upon pushing in a little further, she could see the simply enormous mass of titans that they had gathered together.

' _It's terrifying seeing them all in one place...'_

She weaved through the group, scanning around for Jean, whom she had lost in the confusion. Was he hiding in the back? She wouldn't want to insult him like that, but their last real conversation on what he wanted to do _did_ kind of elude to him wanting to run to the interior - so it's the same, right?

All that aside, she wriggled her way in, searching for anyone else that she had grown comfortable with over the time. The last thing she wanted was to find that they had been killed or something of the like, after all.

Bertoldt maybe.? Or... there was Leonie or Oskar from training camp, but she wasn't even positive if they had shown up today... It was a much bigger district than she had originally thought, and she was positive that it was a simple task to work the whole day - had this day gone uninterrupted - and still never see half of the Garrison members.

As she made her way through, attempting to catch sight or anyone, she was caught in between a choir of gasps.

"What.. Huh?" She shifted her gaze around to try pinpointing the problem, only to find all of their eyes were locked on the sky. She turned her head up to see a stream of red smoke barreling around an assumed fired flare.

"Did... the operation fail..?"

"If not, they probably ran into a lot of problems..."

"So then the blocking operation."

"Does that mean these people died vain..?"

Ada's body locked up, hands overlapping over one another as she could feel herself begin to shudder again. She hated being caught in the middle of peoples' opinions. Not that she hated hearing them - just that they were usually negative...

"Ada, where the Hell did you run off too?" Feeling Jean's hand clutched almost harshly onto her shoulder, he maneuvered through the crowd, then glowered down at her, scowling as always.

"I was just doing my job," She responded bluntly, "But something's happening..?"

They waited, watching on as the distraction efforts continued, just keeping quiet as they hoped and prayed their efforts would bear fruit: that all of the deaths of their comrades wouldn't be for nothing gained.

Time passed, and as everyone waited and continued to work with their chests contracting from the most relentless combination of fear and hope, a green stream of smoke split across the sky, raising up until fading out. The soldiers' heads rose, eyes fixated on that green flare, and though this was her first time experiencing a titan breaching such as this... This was probably the first time that anyone present had been gifted the opportunity to taste success for humanity.

Her dark brown eyes stayed locked on the sky. She couldn't explain this feeling: an overwhelming joy pulsing in the bit of her chest with every heartbeat.

"We... Trost is..." her breaths picked up, and with a sudden wash of emotion, she hurriedly began to wipe at her dampening eyes. The last thing she needed was for Jean or one of the others to make a comment on her crying or something of the like -even if it was a bit too difficult to keep at bay.

A soldier could be heard above the crowds, carrying far with joy lithe in his announcement, "The Survey Corp. has arrived! Soldiers move out to assist!"

"The Survey Corp.!" Ada's eyes grew wide at the thought. They had been out on expedition. If she remembered correctly, they were the best squad in terms of titan fighting capabilities. The whole reason that the trouble spread as far as it did was because the Garrison didn't have the prowess of the Corp. to help them contain the threat. To imagine they would be here to help now. The pit of her stomach grew lighter, easing away to make room for the spread of newfound hope. Surely the situation from a greater scale was still a bit bleak, but this short-lived victory wouldn't go overlooked on her part.

Following suit with the rest of the soldiers, Ada broke away from Jean's grip, returning to the battle. It was amazing, the feeling of being completely rejuvenated. Even though her body was fatigued, she felt like she could assist far more than she could before.

Whilst running atop the housetops, her eyes caught every vantage of soldiers pouring into the district, running and swinging like a completely different army than she saw during the breach.

' _So many of them...'_ She mentally noted in awe, ' _...and so much skill...'_

"Wahoo!"

Diving through the air slicing right past her, Ada's eyes caught sight of a uniformed girl, adorned with the Survey Corps.' own Wings of Freedom. She was stunned, really amazed, that was until she caught sight of the face in the harness, "RHETA?!"

The familiar face of Andreas came in just a second later, he and a few other soldiers going in to deliver various vertical-bodied cuts to a large titan, restricting its movements until it toppled over. It was too uncoordinated to manage catching itself with its hands and knees, and as a result fell flat down upon its face as it hit the ground.

It was so fast.

The, perhaps, four survey corp. soldiers had run such a tall titan down so fast. Ada could say she did the same thing, sure, but it was only when adrenaline had more or less caused her to black out. It was like they were using the maneuvering gear on a completely new tier. She had to admit - to be able to do something like this consciously - the Survey Corp. was on another level.

Another female blazed through, landing down harshly to deliver the final nape-blow to the collapsed titan.

"Wait..." She recognized this one too! It wasn't someone she had attended training camp with, or even someone she had managed to meet in one of the other camps during the combined training of the divisions. No, this was a face made familiar even many years before that.

 _"Ada," The older girl questioned, hand propped up against her hips as she peered down to the darker complected girl. Despite there not being too much of an age gap between the two girls, the older one had always acted as more of an older sister when they were children. Even now, with the intimidating way she towered over Ada, amber-like eyes looking scoldingly, it was clear to see it was done from a place of care, "I'm serious! I already decided to attend the camp - and while I'm gone, I want to make sure you can take care of yourself on your own."_

 _Ada's cheek puffed up with a pocket of air, foot gently scuffing at the ground. She was well-aware that her friend was serious about attending training camp. And surely, Ada was thrilled for her, but if she went away, then her only friend other than Lynette would be absent for at least three years, "I know... but..." It would be a selfish request to ask her to stay, even if it was on the tip of Ada's tongue. Instead, gazing away, she quietly murmured, "can I visit...?"_

 _"Ah..." The older girl's tough front began to disappear, compassion lighting in her eyes as her arms dropped from her hips. "Y-yeah... I mean... After training camp, I'll have to go away to my branch... And I'll still have to work hard..! But I'll make sure you can visit. And I'll visit too, okay?"_

 _"Yeah!" Her eyes were set aglow from this small victory. Even if her friend would be going away, Ada was certain she would make the time they spent worthwhile until then... Then when they met again..._

"PET-RAAAA!" Ada shouted this out as if involuntary, caught up in a moment of sheer and immeasurable joy.

The blonde looked up immediately, instinct drawing her movements at near instantaneous speeds. When her amber eyes set upon Ada, her serious expression dropped just momentarily, softening for a split second before being projected once more, "WE'LL CATCH UP AFTER! FOR NOW, FOCUS!"

The little scold caught Ada's attention, a bead of embarrassed sweat peeking against her cheek, made more prominent by Rheta's incessant teasing behind Petra's back in the form of lower eyelid tugging and her tongue sticking out.

"R-right..!" Ada sheepishly agreed, propelling ahead to assist now in any way she was needed.

It was amazing how fast these things could change directions. At one moment it felt like all was lost and humanity was struggling on its last leg, now everything was suddenly beginning to look up.

Once again, however, Ada's movements ceased.

It had been a little while since the combined forces of the Garrison and Survey Corp. soldiers were unleashed upon the remaining titans in the district, and while things were cleaning up quite nicely, something in the distance had caught Ada's attention. She squinted her eyes through the lenses of her goggles, trying to catch sight of something that appeared almost nonexistent in distance. "What..!?" She couldn't help but verbalize, seeing titans fall and drop at ridiculous rates. No wonder the eradication of remaining titans had gone so fast - whoever, no whatever, this thing was out there looked like a single-handed army..!

"Cool, huh?"

Ada jolted immediately, turning her head towards the voice, then pouting upon seeing Rheta standing there. "What is that..?" She inquired regardless.

The sandy haired girl placed her hand on her hip, "You're looking at the Corp's. Captain! He's really something, isn't he? I've seen him go toe to toe with a ton of titans like it was just any other day!" Her green eyes diverted only for a second, seeing as Andreas had now touched down on the roof's spot next to her, "We can go on expeditions outside the walls or to Wall Maria's territory with a little less fear. Crazy, right?"

"Yeah, crazy..." Ada repeated carefully. Just in the time they had briefly exchanged words, this man had downed probably about seven more titans - vapor spewing in massive clouds from the aftermath. ' _I didn't think someone like this even existed... How are we having trouble with the titans when this guy's here..!? It's like...'_ Her eyes trailed over slightly to the right, and from the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Mikasa, dropping titan body after titan body in the same way. Expression bland, she thought to herself dryly, ' _Must be related.'_

"You guys finished already?"

At the next familiar voice, Ada turned again, seeing the large eyes of a once-shorter brown haired former-trainee.

"Milo too..?" The dark haired girl questioned out, and not far behind, she could see Silvan and Jannik making there way around. Everyone was there - everyone from the training camp that had spoken up about the Survey Corp., they were all present. They were all safe.

"Yeah yeah! All done," Jannik piped up, dusting his hands idly, "Only things left to deal with are around the captain, so I'm sure he's gonna put 'em down real quick."

"Any word on what we're doing next?" Rheta asked whilst quickly and irritably brushing her hair out of her face and over her shoulder.

"Commanders of the branches are gonna talk about some stuff. We're staying present on the cleared out part of the district for now to see if we'll be needed over the next couple of days." Milo furrowed a brow and tipped his head as he relayed the information, "I guess we could be needed if things don't quite work with the hole."

Andreas, who seemed to have been catching his breath a little during this brief reunion, waved his hand affirmatively, "Oh good... That'll give us a chance to catch up."

Ada, seemingly stunned in the moment, looked at all of the pair of eyes that now looked back at her own. It hadn't been too long since the closing ceremony and the application period began, but all of her fellow cadets were already starting to appear so different. What did the Corp. do them..? "Y-yeah..." Ada agreed, perhaps with every sentiment presented, but more intentionally with Andreas, "I have... I mean... We've got a lot to catch up on..."

* * *

"You serious..!?" Jannik's outburst cut in, hand pushed down against the table out of surprise - as night fell, they gathered into the evacuated homes, a few supplies gifted for them to recuperate whilst they had to stay put.

"Yeah... I was just coming to get familiar with everything," Ada sighed, hand against her chest, "Then not too long after we got up on the wall, the breach happened."

Milo's large green eyes glimmered with an almost overly dramatic concern, "B-but that's close... too close for comfort... You could have-" Immediately silencing his woes and worries, Ada dragged the boy into her chest, pampering him with nuzzled to the top of the head and gentle pats the same way she had in training camp. After a moment, however, she paused, "This doesn't feel the same..."

"Why, 'cause he grew like a damn weed?" Jannik interjected roughly, chin plopped idly in his palm.

"Yeah that's part of it," Ada glanced down, seeing Milo's eyes glimmer once more, "BUT HE'S STILL SO PRECIOUS!" Resuming her nuzzling, she looked up, casting her gaze to each one of the present members, "What have you guys been up to?"

"Expeditions~," Rheta cheerily bragged, propping her feet up confidently, "The Survey Corp. needed all the members it could get, so our applications got slid in real quick-like." She proudly nodded her head and slipped her hands back behind it as she reclined, "We've been doing the real deal stuff! Probably for about a month now!"

"So literally as soon as the applying process started..." That was pretty amazing to hear, really, terrifying to know that they were out there doing work that few bothered to do, but amazing that all of the other trainees' time spent reclining and waiting, they were hard at work. Ada's hands coiled into her dark hair, an act that was becoming more of a habitual act to calm her nerves.

Silvan rolled his eyes, his coarse nature presenting itself once again, "Well, while everyone's off running their cowardly asses to the interior, somebody's gotta be the game-changer. Speaking of running off..."

"Seriously, Silvan, can you go one sentence without looking to insult me?" The door opened up, giving way to the sight of a mildly amused Lynette, "If I didn't know any better I'd almost think you missed me or something!"

"Lynette!"

Without a moment to spare, the prospective MP was smothered in an ecompassing hug from her former housemate, one that was immediately returned by the concerned brunette. "God, I was worried... Ada, are you okay?" Immediately out of the hug, Lynette's chocolate hues went about searching her for any kind of wounds or worse.

"I'm sore," Ada offered, otherwise shaking her head, "Other than that, a couple of scrapes and bruises are the worst I've got."

"Thank goodness..." The brunette exhaled heavily, hand over her chest as if to quell her raging heart. "I didn't know what I came here expecting... but it definitely wasn't a full-scale reunion. How the Hell are you guys?"

"As good as we could be, _MP_ ," Silvan offered. It was normal by this point, and judging by the antagonizing grin, he was expecting a little bite back.

"Heh... Ha..." Lynette's hand wound around the back of her neck awkwardly, "MP, huh..? Well... It was in the cards until now - who really knows what'll happen after this." She averted her eyes awkwardly, stress being blown off in the form of her canine grinding and tugging against her lower lip.

"What..?" Ada moved back for a second, looking incredulously, "They didn't bring you in..?"

"For them to ask me some questions and check my application, sure..." Lynette trailed off, "I uh. It was looking good - but I dunno how the Military Police branch feels about their applicants taking a horse and bolting down to Trost."

"YOU DIDN'T," Andreas piped up in shock.

"GOOD ON YA!" Jannik bit back, clearly finding this whole scenario to be far more amusing than it was meant to.

"But what about the..."

Lynette immediately cut off Ada's worry with a hand across her face, "Shhh... There is no worry or concern to be had here... Tell me what I've been missing."

The conversations went on for some time, shifting moods just as often as the gaps from the last month or so were covered over the course of the discussion. In some time, they were joined by the blonde from before, Petra, who entered in a bit contemplatively through the house door.

"Peee-t-ra!" Ada shot once more, latching onto the older girl lovingly.

"When did you get so much taller than me..." The Survey Corp. senior murmured, appearing slightly troubled, "Is this what you do when I go away for a while..?"

"Call it revenge!" Ada retorted quickly, "You left me for all those years with Jean! Just so that you could run off with Oluo!"

Petra immediately bristled, eyes narrowing at the clearly off-base assumption, "Is that really what you're believing now..!? I thought you hated Oluo!"

"I don't hate him! He's just mean..."

Watching the conversation go back and forth, Lynette piped up, raising her hand to draw attention, "Hellooo, Petra, this is a beautiful reunion, really, but Ada was just telling us a _riveting_ story about her engagement!"

"Engagement." The blonde parroted, brow hiked questioningly and stare darkening with the hint of demand, "Yeah... Go on and tell us more about this." The questionably protective aura radiating from Petra caused Ada to recoil, registering a ghostly pale despite her darker skin color, "N-now hold on.."

"It wasn't my own choice," Ada quickly clarified, stepping away from Petra as not to be caught up in anything -just in case the explanation of the situation did little more than incur her motherly wrath. "I was just getting some wood together for the house - and I turned around because..." Her face burned momentarily at the memory of being caught checking herself out, and she vigorously shook her head in recoil, "I turned around because I thought Lynette was there! But when I turned, it was ERWIN SMITH."

"Erwin Smith!?"

The lot of the room repeated the name, the well-known commander being enough to draw in everyone's attention. What was the leader of the Survey Corp. doing visiting a prospective Garrison member?!

"Ohuuu..." Lynette's eyes gleamed with a clear admiration that reminded the room that if she had gone with her first choice, the now-prospective-MP would have definitely sided with the Survey Corp. first, "You're so lucky... What did he want..?"

"He wanted to talk to me about my choice to join the Garrison. He didn't have a problem with it, but..." She rose her googles, setting them atop her head as her eyes diverted _. 'Maybe it wouldn't be too important to tell them about that whole 'will' or 'motivation' exchange...'_ Skipping over that portion in her head, she continued. "He said it was just a conversation starter..."

"Sounds awkward," Silvan spoke up, clearly not one to hold his tongue, regardless of who they spoke of.

"A little..." Ada admitted, "But he went on to say that... he found an adequate suitor for me. I-I couldn't meet him yet, because he was busy with something important apparently... He thought it would be a good idea though - something about mental and emotional stability or something..."

The room was set with chatter.

"If Erwin gave me a husband, I'd take the husband." Lynette immediately shot in a comedically robotic tone, her hands placed against her cheeks in an almost dreamy fashion.

"If Erwin offered to be your husband, you'd take the husband." Silvan likewise shot back, though instead of receiving the rage he expected, she only shrugged in reply.

"He's super cool. I wouldn't say no."

"HE'S OLD." Jannik shout over the discussion, "You're disgusting!"

"Did he tell you who it was?" Milo inquired, genuinely interested in what this occasion could mean for their friend. Despite all the mystery that surrounded it, in their current world, this did seem like definitely a more joyous occasion that could be experienced.

"Ahh... Well he didn't tell me much... Just that we'd meet, he and I." Ada's brows furrowed deeply, eyes closing as she recalled the name she had been presented with, "He said... Levi Ackerman."

All of the excess chatter and background talk immediately shut down. All of the eyes in the room firmly locked on her, and all movement seemed to abruptly come to a stiff halt, as if something she said was just the trigger for everyone's attention.

She fidgeted awkwardly, looking away, then in a motion of comfort, looked to Petra, who seemed just caught in the shock as the others. "What..!? What!? What about it!?"

Lynette, just as bewildered, surveyed the expressions in the room, then quietly waited for someone to respond.

"That's..."

Although Milo began, he seemed to have no ability to complete his thought.

"That's the Captain..." Rheta finished. Through her shock, one could catch the raise of the corners to her lips; she was fighting a smile. "You're gonna marry our captain..?!"

Suddenly the tense nature of the room dissolved into a fit of laughter, one that Ada, for the life of her could not understand, "What's everyone laughing at now..?! Somebody explain this to me!"

Even Petra, who at least seemed to have the courtesy to cover her mouth, was losing her composure, her other hand's palm smacking against her knee to try keeping her hysteria under control, "D-Don't worry..! It's not a problem if you dust regularly!

"W-What..!?"

"He..H-he..!" Petra's composure was slowly slipping, tears brimming at the corners of her eyes, "I- I'm sorry! I'm joking..! He's really an amazing choice! ...Pfft... As long as you wipe your feet and wash your hands before coming to bed!"

Lynette smiled wildly, enjoying the energy of the room. Poor Ada was stuck between a rock and a Petra - never a good sign, but, hey, it was nice to see that the two were connecting again after so many years of scarce visits. The brunette let herself raise from the table, and with a gentle tap on the shoulder, she informed, "I'm going to go see Jean. I'll be back in a sec."

The -at this point-, borderline-humiliated and confused Ada only offered a nod, defeated expression taking over the whole of her face. "GUYS, SHUT UP!"

Lynette limited her laughter with a tight hand over her mouth, though a couple of chuckles were allowed to slip through the cracks.

She'd ridden the horse to the Trost District for hours straight. Her back was killing her, and her arms were pretty tired. It was nothing major, and nothing she couldn't handle, especially since she didn't have to carry a backpack of rocks on her shoulders this time around, but she _was_ tired, so she wanted to be sure she could make her rounds to everyone before she fell asleep. It was even more necessary, considering she may have to be shoving out come the morning to make the trip back to Wall Sina.

Lynette pushed the door affront her open, then turned to carefully shut it without making too much noise. She was sure the troops were tired, and the last thing she wanted was to wake some poor sap. Stepping down from the wooden step, she glanced up, and immediately caught sights of a friend passing by at the corner of her eye.

Head tipping, she furrowed a brow whilst catching the hazel eyes of the only other person really out and about the ghost-town of camp in the current hour,

"Reiner?"

 **A/N: L. Yes. Ada is engaged to mister Ackerman. It's all very traumatic, really, and it doesn't seem like her friends and comrades have any interest in letting her live this down either. Though it all boils down to what Erwin's thinking with this and how the two get along!**

 **ALSO. REINER. HI. WHATCHU DOIN' PROWLIN' AROUND OUT HERE.**

 **I hope you guys have been enjoying this story! I'm working quite hard on it, but just like the real show it takes so long to get things moving LOL.**

 **OnCe It DoEs ...**

 **OoF.**

 **i Is TiNgLiNg WiTh AnTiCiPaTiOn.**

 **Anyway! I Hope you had a great holiday! I love you guys!**


	14. Chapter 14: Letting Go

**A/N: ? no I jk. Go go go go gogogo!**

"Reiner?"

Lynette stepped ahead, offering a smile to the friend she had made during the combining of camps. The two of them had naturally gotten along. Though at the time, it was just her way of playfully getting on Jean's nerves -since he clearly didn't approve of the two spending time with each other. It was just a normal case of a protective friend, it seemed, but poking at Jean's temper did little more than actually prove that she and Reiner got along decently well.

Likewise, Ada tended to gravitate more towards Bertholdt, considering his meek nature caused her to want to mother him almost. It was similar to how she treated Milo, in a way, but Lynette could mainly rationalize that that trait probably sprouted from the similar way that Petra treated Ada when they were children.

"No one's out and about at this hour." She questioned, approaching Reiner with her hands settled on her hips. Her eyes took sight of the long stretching path that nearly no one walked in the night, "What are you doing here?"

He rubbed the back of his neck in response. "Last time I checked, you were on your way to the interior - so I could ask you the same question."

Lynette's face momentarily paled, gaze averting and lips quirking into a defiant pout as the twosome continued a leisurely, idle stride, "Don't even want to talk about it..." She drawled on. The more she thought about it, the more she remembered how screwed her 4-year-old plan to assist humanity and the Survey Corp. was as a result.

"Aw c'mon," The blond prodded, "You mean to tell me they turned you down? You got fourth didn't you?"

"I didn't get turned down. It's a long story," It truly wasn't, but at least presenting it that way, she wouldn't have to relive her heated decision. She actually thought about it on the way, but once she started, she had to commit, "And what's this about that tone? Graduating fourth isn't bad, I'll have you know!"

"Oh yeah, nothing wrong with it." Reiner agreed. He nodded his head casually, going along with the comment, then turned almost too eagerly, flashing a wide, arrogant grin, "It's not second, but it isn't bad."

The arrogance caused a less than amused pout to cross her face. Reeling up quickly, she jabbed her fist straight in the center of the large framed trainee's bicep, "What an ass!" His eyes whited out for a moment, the strength of the girl actually causing a little backlash, despite his brawn. It appeared due to his size, Lynette had found less of a need to hesitate. Regardless of his reaction -which she ignored-, she scoffed, "You're really proud for a guy that couldn't grab first!"

"Look, I know my limits. Have you seen Mikasa in action!?" He held his hands out, pausing his walking as his upturned hands seemed clench in stiff, clicking grips, "She's like five of me!"

The two exchanged a well-placed laugh on the matter, though they both were well-aware of what would happen if the girl in question had actually managed to hear a part of their conversation. Best case scenario is that she would be flattered - worst case scenario, she would come out and unleash a very collected and controlled Hell upon them.

"You thought about what branch you want to go into yet?" The brunette inquired, hands driven into her pockets as she walked ahead.

"Hmm..." He wound his hand around the back of his neck again, scratching his head in deep contemplation, "That again. Yeah I've been giving it some thought..."

"Well you got second, so you like to brag... Ever think about the Military Police?" She went on inquisitively.

He was silent for a time, arms folding tightly across his chest and brow furrowing a bit deeply out thought, "It... crossed my mind." His hazel eyes watched the ground, something past contemplation, more unreadable under the surface. "I don't think that's really for me though. Doesn't really match up with what I wanna do."

"You've got a goal in all this?" Lynette's hand propped on her head, and her walking came to a complete stop affront the trainee. She looked at him, inspected him and took notice of his expression, no matter how obscure it appeared to be. She knew him well-enough, right? If there was something wrong, she would know about it, right? "You never mentioned anything like that to me before, so don't be offended that I'm so surprised."

Reiner recoiled for a second, seeing as she had approached so abruptly, a bead of sweat against his cheek and surprise in his face. "Easy, calm down. If you wanted me to follow you to the inner wall, you should have just asked..."

"Shut up, that's not what I meant!" Lynette began in a shout, but slowly dialed it down, remembering that there were soldiers in bed, most likely trying to sleep. "I wanted to know about your goal, stupid, not about your delusional assumptions."

"I was joking..!" He reasoned, more beads of sweat on his face, though he couldn't suppress the faint amusement. "I've been... worrying about getting home. Hnn..." He hummed in thought as if finding his words, then began again, "After everything that happened, getting home's felt like it was impossible. If I stick with the Survey Corp. I feel like I've got a good chance of finding my way back, but..."

Her eyes watched him carefully.

Of course he was being honest, that much she could tell, but something just wasn't settling well with her. It was a feeling that she couldn't quite place, like intuition was forcing skepticism into her mind. Regardless, she placed a hand on his shoulder, deciding that if this was goal - no matter what exactly the vague sentiment meant, she would offer whatever support she could. It was her duty as a friend, especially in a world where cruelty thrived. A little kindness was nice to receive.

"You made it through today; that says enough about your skill. If you feel like you can do this, then do it. Make it home, and don't let anything stop you," Her grip on his shoulder strengthened with the similar intensity of her eyes: determination, "You've got my support."

His eyes were fixated in the silence, body stiff and locked up as if he couldn't find the words to supplement the support.

He appreciated it, he did. The idea that she believed in him was nice to know, and they, as friends, had managed to maintain a genuine understanding of one another, so this was normal. It was expected. ' _What the Hell am I doing...'_ Although it was his own thought, he could hear it echo in his head as if it came from a completely different place. Like he couldn't pinpoint the divide in his own mind. Abruptly, his head bowed into his hands, fingers gripping into his hair whilst his palms pushed tightly against his head.

He didn't know what this was, or what he was doing, or...

"Reiner?! What's wrong, are you okay..?"

His eyes snapped open, staring straight into the dark of his palms, then through the spaces of his fingers to look at the girl before him; it was almost like he forgot she was there for a moment.

Lynette's gaze was now lithe with worry, a defining frown present. His eyes... looked different.

"I'm fine," He straightened up, shaking his head and taking a step back, remaining stiff until her hand dropped from his shoulder, "It's... Everything that happened today's just probably catching up with me..."

"I can imagine..." Her fingers interlocked affront her form, concern-filled eyes watching carefully, "You should get some rest. Drink plenty of water, grab some of the rations from the supplies, and try to get some sleep, okay..?" Her head tipped, and upon getting an affirmative nod and "Yeah..." from her friend, she backed away.

"I'll see you. I'm gonna go check on Jean before bed."

As she walked away, the male watched her go on, pausing in place, then taking just a couple of moments to smack his palm bottom against his head roughly a few more times. "Yeah..." he stepped away, turning his back and removing his hand to stare down at it. His eyes were intense, staring in what seemed to be disbelief at his own hands, "Goodnight..."

Gently rapping on the door, Lynette eased her eye to peek through the crack in the door, and after one quick glance to make sure Reiner was returning to his place alright, she tossed the door open, "JEAN BOY!"

"YOU'RE HERE TOO!?"

"OF COURSE! WOULD IT KILL YOU TO SOUND MORE ENTHUSIASTIC?!"

The night went on with little incident. The soldiers managed to recover from the hellish day, and get the rest necessary to prepare for the day to come. Though the plan was originally for everyone to return to their work and activity, the overwhelming number of casualties proved to be too much for the medical handlers to take care of on their own.

* * *

A full day had gone on, collecting and identifying the bodies littered around the district, and it was still going on, members of the other divisions assisting.

"My God..." Lynette trailed quietly to herself. Initially, the idea was to return to Wall Sina the next day, but the need for personnel encouraged her to stay and offer her assistance. Even knowing what she was walking into, it made no difference. She was no more prepared for this than she was the day before. Crossing into each new area of the district just showed more gore and more victims. She adjusted the mask over her nose and mouth, as well as the gloves on her arms before taking a deep breath and trudging further.

It was the least she could do. After all, the others had to live this the day that it happened, and watch all of these deaths occur, she didn't want them to experience more than they had to.

Ada's eyes were drained of light once more, her stomach threatening the prior nausea that had afflicted her the day of. Somehow, even knowing that everything had turned out alright, and that humanity lived to fight another day, seeing their fallen comrades in such a state caused her more distress than it did seeing it all unfold.

"Their sacrifices weren't in vain..."

She heard someone say this, most-likely as either a way to convince themselves, or to provide potential comfort to the other members. No matter which, it just didn't sit well with her. ' _I don't care about that... I bet it made them happy knowing they died for a reason, but that's not how I want to remember them...'_ It was like carving an epitaph with statistics. She wanted these people to be thought of as who they were... parents, siblings, children.

Her eyes wandered down to the body in her hands. The wounds they suffered were beyond lethal and in some aspects, it made the body difficult to identify. Her stomach churned and knotted, eyes averting away.

"Guys..."

That was always a bad sign to be addressed specifically in a place and situation like this...

The soldiers in the general area all turned their heads towards Milo, whom had beckoned their attention. He stood, eyes looking pitifully towards them, then straight down towards a corpse along the wreckage. It was damn near unrecognizable, easy to turn the stomachs of many present, and most would question why he'd turn their gazes to something like that.

However, to all from the Western Division, one detail stood out clearly. The messed tuft of golden blond hair that they were all familiar with.

"Leonie..." Ada began, voice growing quiet and troubled.

It was sad: the first visible death of their division, and it resonated hard. Though it was an inevitable outcome that they all knew even in their younger minds three years ago, they couldn't help but dwell on this thought.

"If our applications got sent out last... We'd have been in Krolva pulling cleaning duty or something when all this happened..." Andreas began quietly. He didn't mean to come off as insensitive, truly he hadn't even realized the words had escaped his mouth until Rheta offered a rough jab to the shoulder.

"And if everyone that died here never came here," Lynette began, attempting to keep up her strength for the sake of the others, "others would have died in their place. Everything happens for a reason."

"What's the reason for this..?" Oskar spoke up.

Oskar, the eighth ranking soldier from the Western Division. He didn't usually speak much, even after his exponential physical growth, so it became increasingly simple to accidentally overlook him. Now, however, with his broken voice and misty honey-colored eyes, it was hard to look anywhere else.

"She pushed to be where she wanted," Lynette offered, diverting her gaze away, "And the Garrison was where she wanted to be." Her head shook slightly as her eyes offered a silent apology in the attempts to quell Oskar's clear pain. As far as she knew, Leonie tended to treat him much like a younger sibling, so it was most understandable for her death to have shaken him so strongly.

"But to.. die..?" His eyes began to appear more damp and visibly glossy. After his growth, he had tried to push himself as a masculine figure head, but at moments like this, it was still easy to see that hesitant and sensitive soul underneath.

Lynette nodded her head, "I know. But she died so that others could have the chance to live. Soldiers and civilians alike. To give oneself for everyone else is an inspiring sacrifice..." Butting in to help the message be delivered, Jannik looked to the distressed male, offering a little extra incentive, "Don't let it go to waste... She'd be pissed."

Ada reached her arms out almost longingly as if wanting to offer a hug or some form of comfort, but she knew better, given the situation and the state of their current clothes and such.

Oskar bit his lip, nodding firmly as he began to lift Leonie by his lonesome. His head was bowed, keeping his eyes shaded so that he could finally let the stubborn tears fall without having to let his comrades see his weakness. "I'll handle it on my own." he assured, though there appeared to be something deeper in the way he spoke that sentiment, something that the other division soldiers didn't quite seem to understand yet.

"Ahh..." Ada exhaled, shaking her head firmly. This was getting the better of her again... The closure was necessary, lest grief trick her mind into thinking these people survived somehow, and she knew that. ' _I wonder... if someone already got Nicole.'_

"Jean," Lynette spoke up, peering around to see where he had gone. She'd stuck close to him, especially seeing as she knew how his demeanor could be. He would tend to push his prideful bravado and cover up all semblances of pain or distress to show how tough and unaffected he was. That was what scared her. It made him build it all up, and she never knew for sure when he would decide to break down. "Where did he..?" Her head wound around, looking for her friend and pulling ahead to do so.

"Jean?" She questioned again, though immediately her searching strides came to a halt as she caught sight of the look he had passed her upon her reaching him. His eyes were lightened with fear, staring perpetually widened. This wasn't breaking down. Something had gotten to him.

"Lynette, what-" Ada had come up to follow, her friend's sudden disappearance raising as concerning, even if she knew that she would just be going after Jean.

Her eyes wound around his form, and on the other side, she found the reason clearly - a likewise struggle: Marco. Ada covered her mouth over the mask, staring in shock and rendered speechless from the sight. She knew the relationship here - the significance of Marco to Jean and the opposite.

"I am so sorry..."

"Come on, easy does it..." Lynette hooked onto the boy's arm, and up until this point had been giving him more-or-less special attention.

Of course, knowing this, he snatched his arm back slightly, turning his head away, "I don't need to be treated like a kid. I'm fine..." he assured, though he lacked his usual bite by far. His words were more careful and strained to come off as rude or aggressive.

"Just let me help you," the brunette bit back, though likewise more gentle.

They moved up further up, the blazing of the fire crackling as all of the soldiers gathered around to give their last respects.

To the trainees and rookies alike, this was the first taste of the world. The world that they had been hidden from behind the walls. It was a reality few were ready to face, but looking at the faces of the two girls he'd had grown up with, Jean could say for certain... Maybe at this stage... They were more prepared for this than he ever was. All this time he had thought he was emotionally ready. He never claimed to be brave... just that he knew what the world was like. Just that he knew that when the time came, his only hope to survive was to run to the interior with the rest of the military police.

But these two...

These were the kinds of people that Marco was talking about. The ones that gave their all to humanity and put others beyond themselves: that put their survival second to that of everyone else. ' _He really thought I could be like that..?'_ The thought was almost bitter, but judging by the way his teeth dug so deeply into his lip, it was true.

Maybe somewhere while playing big brother - he was really the one looking up to them...

' _I hear you loud and clear...'_ Jean thought, memories in his mind directing him to just what needed to be done. He knew now... ' _I know what I'll do.'_

"Jean..?"

His eyes were brimming with wet bubbles at the corners, the only thing stopping them from falling was his own willpower. He looked at Lynette, then Ada, lingering on them both before turning away, walking further towards his own group trainees.

He would join the Survey Corp.

"Is he going to be okay..?" Ada questioned absent-mindedly, verbalizing her thoughts without realizing, just out of concern. It was fine to ask, though, she figured that with the time they spent together, Lynette should know if anyone.

"You kidding..?" Lynette replied quietly, settling her hands atop her hips as she watched her childhood friend walk off to address the southern division trainees. She nodded firmly, eyes glazed with a soft focus and gently exuded determination, "He's Jean. I know for a fact... he'll be just fine..."

 **A/N: Sadness. Feels. Heartstrings. Ah. AHH. AHHH.**

 **ALSO! Sorry it's been a while. These gaps tend to happen whenever I seem to enter into a busy period, and- OH MY GOD RED SWAN JUST STARTED PLAYING AS SOON AS I STARTED TYPING THIS AUTHOR'S NOTE AND I AM CRYING AT THIS TIMING.**

 **UGH.**

 **AMAZON MUSIC PLS.**

 **STOP SPYING ON ME.**

 **OKAY BUT. Gaps in chapters being pumped out happens when things get busy from time to time! But hopefully i'm back on now and can go ahead with pushing chappies through for you lovely people! I really love this story and I am already fully prepared to write, because I literally know almost every inch of this story already. The only difficulty I may have is when I start getting caught up in-story with the current chapters coming out, because they make some things a little shady.**

 **But thank you so much for reading! I love all of you and hope you love this! Please tell me what you think!**


	15. Chapter 15: The Captain

**A/N: MMMMHM. You read that title right. IT'S HAPPENING. But first you have to experience some Isayama-style "giving you the stuff you don't care to know about yet".**

"Mnnn..."

This time around, Lynette was much more hesitant when sitting in front of Commander Nile. It was easy before to feel comfortable and maybe even the slightest bit confident when presenting the kind of credentials that she had from the training camp. With the current and spontaneous leave, she was feeling less sure of herself.

' _I could march myself to the Survey Corp. and take up things there... It wouldn't be doing what I wanted, but at least I'd get to work a little closer to Mister Erwin, hah?'_

The commander leaned back in his seat, taking his hand and setting it at the corner of the desk, where a small, weathered analogue clock could be seen in place. He lifted it up by the edges and turned it to face him, staring at the second hand for a moment, "You have one minute to explain yourself."

Lynette's eyes blinked once, then twice, watching across the way at the commander, and effectively wasting about 15 seconds. "Oh!"

She sat up straight, fingers picking at the pants of her uniform as she began mentally assembling everything she needed to say, but really it was a simple response. "I heard there was trouble and I felt like I needed to do something!" She locked her fingers together, attempting to quell her fidgeting and speak clearly, concisely, and above all, quickly.

"I have people I care about there, and I didn't want to have to question whether or not one more soldier could have made a difference."

She got there late, but honestly that didn't matter. She would have dwelled on it for far too long should she have been left to ponder her own thoughts. "That's my job as a training cadet, isn't it?" She attempted to weasel that much in there - manipulative? Perhaps, but it could have made a bit of difference in the way he looked at her actions, and hopefully the way he inetrpreted them when deciding whether or not to offer her leniance.

The commander's expression remained stuck on bemused, but in a single flicker of vision down, he caught sight of the second hand rounding once more and set the clock down. "But not as an Officer."

"Yes, Sir... I know," Lynette lowered her gaze into her lap, "but at the very least you know you'll be bringing in a soldier that values the people she's to protect above herself," And there went the second red flag.

Nile's eyes narrowed, and a long, exasperated sigh came to follow. She was quite the talker wasn't she? If anything, it just provided another likening to Erwin. She played on her responses, twisting them and tweaking them into what was necessary to sway people into thinking or acting just as she wished. She'd seen that side of Erwin before - a certain kind of pseudo-leadership at a prodigal level that, in reality, was little more than the skill of diplomacy. Though, as a simple, dare he add 'near-poverty-stricken' girl from Wall Rose, where else would she have learned the skill of a silver tongue?

Hearing his sigh, Lynette perked up just slightly. Normally, the sound of a sigh of that nature was a hint to the idea that they were about to do something they didn't want to do. Now, she was no people expert -so she would say-, but it didn't sound very much like he _wanted_ to give her a role in the Military Police, but...

"I can be assured that this won't happen if you get brought in, I assume?"

"Ahh..." As soon as her hesitance came about, the commander's eyes grew much more aggravated and wracked with distaste. She couldn't be serious, could she? Disappearing from her interview, coming back and trying to work his nerves with some sort of 'charisma', then not agreeing to make sure an action -that she clearly displayed regret and apology for- wouldn't just repeat itself in the future? What the Hell was she expecting from them!?

"I can promise!" She spoke up, tipping her head just slightly whilst uncertainly beginning again, "I can... promise that it won't happen again without proper permissions."

His head settled against the back of his hand, anatgonizingly questioning her with not a word, but instead, his intent eye contact.

Sensing this was an invitation to clear up her intentions, she quickly shook her head and attempted to firm her expression, "My obligations to my job as a Military Police officer will take priority, I can promise that, sir."

"They had better."

The commander slapped down a uniform jacket and what appeared to be a pinning badge on the desk. It was lackluster in presentation, and quite frankly he had no interest in making her feel like she had signed into any particular honor it seemed. She would have received a much more warm welcome if this weren't the second time he had seen her attempting to apply in his office. "A pity you missed your induction."

 _'It's a pity my interview was late in the first place...'_ She thought, a tired fold momentarily defining itself beneath the crease of her eye. Despite that, she feigned bliss, taking the jacket and standing straightly to offer a respectful lowering of her head, "Thank you, sir. I'll be sure to make you proud." She intended to toss something else in there. Maybe about some sort of promise for greatness, or impressive exploits, or something of the like, but honestly, she didn't want to go pushing her luck this time around.

' _Actions speak louder than words, after all...'_

"Officer Baasch will show you to your quarters." This was the last sentiment offered to her by the commanding officer before she was instructed to leave the quarters.

However, upon turning around to face the door, she couldn't help but dwell over that name. _Baasch_. It sounded particularly familiar to her for some reason or another. If she didn't figure it out it would stick to her and-

"Oh, well would you look who finally decided to show up."

Lynette's eyes widened ever-so-slightly, akin to a cornered baby animal as she was taken clearly off guard. Slowly raising her field of vision, she came to settle on the taller girl that made her remember just why 'Baasch' was suddenly such a familiar surname. "Oh. Alize." And just like that, all semblance of intrigued drained from her features.

"That's how you greet me?" The dark haired girl scoffed, "I waited around just t'hear you went bolting down to Trost, then you come back sounding like this?"

As they walked, Lynette's brow furrowed deeply with embarrassment, "They told you that..? The Trost thing, that is..."

"Nah. But I heard some people chatting about it. It was pretty weird, so y'should've known word would've spread. They didn't name you in particular... but of all the trainees gutsy and stupid enough to pull something like that, I figured you seriously had to be the one." Her hands jut into her pockets, her casual almost apathetic demeanor carrying over into the MP uniform, as one could see. The only bit of intrigue or joy of sorts came from pushing at Lynette's nerves over the issue.

"I don't know if that's a compliment or not..." Lynette sighed softly, "but I guess I should honestly just be grateful that they gave me another chance; they don't come often."

"Yeah, another delay further, and they woulda went on to the applications from the other districts, so I hear. By then, they probably wouldn't've had much need for ya." Alize's eyes lit with a certain competitive glow as she spoke up, sideglancing the shorter girl to see how she would respond.

"Thanks for reminding me how lucky I am," The tanner skinned female dryly remarked.

As the two made their way to their quarters -which apparently they would be sharing-, they came to see a familiar face already well-situated on the available single bed -rather than the bunked ones nearest the window.

"Oh!" None other than Johanne Kraus, the second ranking graduate of their division. She looked much more casual, if not a bit peppy when not keeping up her presentation for professionalism reasons, "So glad to see everything managed to sort itself out!" Her blue-green-like eyes gleamed clearly without the presence of her glasses. "You had me worried when word got out you had gone back to Trost."

"It was a blessing." The brunette merely said, though the resurfacing thoughts of the aftermath weren't pretty, and especially not easy enough to just pass off through casual conversation. Her hand moved to her temples and slowly massaged away the faint pulsing.

"Sorry about the bed - please don't think me selfish." The strawberry blonde bounded up, motioning over to the bunkbeds, "Alize couldn't stop anticipating you getting here... And seeing you both so close, I figured the best solution would be to make sure you two could bunk with each other." It seemed like good enough reasoning, and it certainly didn't seem like she was telling a lie about any of it, so in response, Lynette just nodded.

"I wasn't expecting her to be so-" Lynette spoke up quickly, though her voice wasn't even allowed to carry to the other two in the room before Alize immediately went on the defensive against their much more peppy, bright-eyed roommate.

"Hey, I wasn't excited or anything," Alize felt the need to speak up, sitting down on the top bunk that Lynette would only guess that she had claimed, "but I can't exactly get a good fight outta _you_."

Johanne's expression grew dull and disinterested, the apathy masking just how much she was insulted by the comment at hand, "Of course." She plopped back down on her own bed, reaching across the way to pick up her circular-framed glasses to put on.

"I um..." Lynette sat down at the edge of her bed, palms pressed together and hands then wedged between her thighs. Her gaze traced her feet as she nervously licked her lips, then proceeded to tug at her lower one with her canine tooth. She didn't want to ruin the mood, but she felt that it would be even more unfair of her to keep this from them. "When I went to Trost... Well, the..."

The two girls present in the room shifted their heads, one with mild curiosity, and one with a sense of foreboding.

"Go 'head and spit it out. I can already tell it's bad news," Alize piped up from the top bunk, peering down over the side to get a look at Lynette, who failed to return her gaze.

"We uh..." Damn it, she couldn't force herself to say it. She couldn't help but feel knotted up at the stomach from the idea of dropping the news on them, almost as if she could imagine how they were going to react. More than Alize, she seemed to find her sights wandering more cautiously to Johanne. "We...lost Leonie."

Silence wafted, as was expected.

It was so silent, in fact, that she could hear the persistent ringing in her ears from lack of sound.

"God..." Johanne head smacked roughly into her hands. After removing her glasses and setting them into her lap, she brushed her palms up her face, centering her breathing. As if something abruptly hit her, her head shot up, overly sympathetic, glossed eyes hopefully on Lynette, "What about Oskar..? How was he?"

"He took it... a bit hard." She clutched her hands closer together, quelling their slight shaking, "But by the end of it... I think he had found some sort of peace."

"Hah..." The blonde fell backwards against her bed, folding her arms across her forehead, "I can't believe it..."

The whole reason Johanne had managed to convince those two to join the Garrison was to keep them out of further harm. Initially, they looked to join the Survey Corp., but to be frank she could possibly guarantee they could have been exposed the dangers much faster in that route. Regardless, because of her hand in urging them, she couldn't help but feel responsible for the fate of their comrade and good friend...

"I'd just gotten a letter from her a little while ago. She _just_ got taken into the branch..."

"I'm sorry..." Lynette spoke up sympathetically, attempting to offer just some form of comfort. Johanne seemed relatively calm, despite the slight showings of distress, but the brunette could feel her inner troubles.

"No... I'm glad you told me." Johanne mustered up a reassuring smile to ease her comrade's worries, "I probably would have been more upset if I had to find out myself."

It was almost sad.

The way they reacted to hearing this kind of news couldn't have been normal for people. The idea that it was considered common knowledge that a soldier of nearly any kind could and possibly would die on the forefront was almost nauseating in prospect.

They had all been offered this information very early on to come to terms with how life in this cruel world had become.

That was what she had figured. Still, looking at their faces, and how Alize bottled up momentarily to let the moment occur, she could tell that the moment of conversation had been ruined for now. Still, the dark eyed girl on the top bunk peered down and over, "You've seen some shit, Lynnette. You should get some rest."

Lynette peered up. She knew she was right, and she was exhausted...

"Yeah... I think you're right..." She eased her body backwards and further nestled into the warmth of the mattress; no matter how ordinary it looked, it felt pretty comfortable - much more so compared to the thin cot she took to sleeping on back in Wall Rose. She was pretty sure it wouldn't take long at the rate she was going to drift off, but her mind wouldn't stop wandering and twisting and rethinking and visualizing...

"The more tired you are, the less of a fair fight it'll be when we get around to it."

Of course. It wouldn't be Alize if she didn't add that, right? Lynette's drooping eyes rolled as she turned toward the window, "Whatever... So selfish..."

She fixated her eyes in the distance, chin resting in her hand and said hand now having to bear the weight of her heavy, tired head. With thoughts still blurring her head, there was actually comfort found in the little things: the calm streets of Wall Sina, set gently aglow by soft street lamps... It was so tranquil, that the incidents of Trost almost seemed like some sort of bad dream that never happened.

Across the way, far on the other stretch of the walls, in that small corner of Wall Rose, one Ada was still attempting to get used to things just following the breach.

"Easy does it..." Ada breathed out, hands trying to stabilize herself using the wall. She was a lot more sore and bruised up than she had initially thought. When it came down to her adrenaline, she was sure it had worn off as much as it was going to before, but her aching muscles were saying otherwise. Then again, it felt like during the whole invasion -save for the time she spent with Jean whilst they waited for command- was spent with her in perpetual motion. One could guess that with this soreness, her body was telling her that her limitations were pushed a bit far beyond what training had prepared her for.

Slowly, she managed to ease into a seated position.

Normally she didn't mind the feeling of soreness. It actually wasn't bad, even in training camp when she felt it nearly every day. This, however, felt more like an aching, pulling feeling that begged her to halt after every ease of even slight motion.

She reached slowly down into a bucket of drawn water, left to set until relatively frigid from the night air. Fetching the cloth from it, she rang out the chilled water and wrapped it around her shins to hold in place.

It was soothing to say the least, but the cold on her skin was unwelcome.

In fact, it made it a bit redundant that she was cold-soaking her legs and other parts of her aching body, all the while having a fire in the wood stove.

Ever-so-gently, she released her pent up breath in a subtle exhale, eyes squeezed shut until she could feel the soothing of the cold begin to overtake the pain from pressing so firmly onto her wounds and aches. "Geez..." She murmured quietly.

She wasn't expecting everything to take such a toll on her; she felt physically and emotionally exhausted.

Despite her attempts to forget what had taken place, however, she couldn't help but revisit the whole of the breach. Unlike one would possibly think, however, it wasn't the carnage on her mind - not Marco or Nicole or Leonie. Her mind instead revisited the moments before the breach.

She had been walking around, viewing Trost and discovering what it had to offer, and in the process, she stumbled across something that fueled a motive in her: the people.

"I thought..."

She didn't complete that sentiment.

In truth, Ada had believed that if she could put stock in her mindset of protecting the people, that she would be able to find the drive Erwin asked her to, and find that that was why she wanted to be a soldier. However, it wasn't that simple. She was sure that she wanted to protect them, but when the breach happened, she was terrified out of her mind. She would constantly go back and try to imagine her vow to protect them, and find that hopefully it would provide some extra motivation, but it was much harder than just automatically convincing herself.

Truth be told... All of this was more difficult than she had anticipated. As much as she cared about everyone, and as much as she wanted to help them, she wasn't certain as it was that she could or wanted to do this through being a soldier.

All of those thoughts caused signs of tire to wear their way onto her face. It was too much to try to sort out at once, but buried so deeply into her own mind, she almost didn't realize the subtle knock at the door.

"C-coming! Just one second!"

Normally she would assume it was Lynette coming to their home this late in the evening, but after her last assumption led to her making a fool of herself in front of Commander Erwin, she was much less willing to quickly conclude.

Oh! Petra was back within the walls, so it was just as much a possibility that her old friend could be coming to visit.

Excitement perking up her steps, she rocked herself unsteadily to her feet, shaking off the cloths carefully and stiffly attempting to make slow, gentle strides to her front door. Whence reaching the door knob, she cracked the door, peeking out and looking around.

At her own eye level and above she didn't notice anyone initially present: no Erwin or anyone she had expected.

Her head slowly lowered down, her secondary options in mind - Lynette or Petra?

"It's Meier, isn't it?"

Ada's eyes whitened at the sudden appearance of a deeper, starker voice, and hesitantly, her eyes lowered down to the male before her. He was someone she couldn't really remember having seen before, and his voice definitely wasn't one that she found familiar to her. Still, with the jacket displaying the Wings of Freedom, she could only assume that this male was another person looking for her from the Scouting Legion - most-likely someone here on behalf of Petra or Erwin. She knew then she should act with professionalism.

"Yes it is. And you are..? Can... I help you somehow?" Her voice was soft and patient, almost put-on in terms of how carefully she was referring to this stranger, though naturally catching sight of the minor details, she noticed something interesting right away.

' _His harness...'_ It was still on, when most people would have probably set it aside in their downtime. She could only assume he hadn't had any breaks recently. Not only that, but in the blade holster, she could see two set in place. It was uncommon, if not just downright rare to see someone carry two blades with them, both of which appearing to be recently used. He couldn't really use them both at once, could he..?

"I was sure you'd heard of me from Erwin," Despite the crude way in which he spoke, it almost appeared that he too was putting on some sort of professional facade whilst speaking to her. In fact, in getting lost in all of the many details regarding this man and his being, she nearly failed to hear him until he said - "I'm Levi Ackerman."

All semblance of sound and awareness immediately zipped away from her, as if she were having some sort of out-of-body experience, a harsh carriage break sounding off in her head, complete with violent screeching.

"Y-you're Levi Ackerman..?"

She stared at the male before her, and the only thing that could come to mind was: ' _He's... So Short..!'_

This man... Was her fiancee..?!

 **A/N: HOPE YOU LIKED. HOPE YOU LOVED. PLEASE SHOW YOUR SUPPORT IF YOU DO! PS. This story is now being posted chapter by chapter on the Attack on Titan Amino. If you have Amino, feel free to follow me there. "Survivor" With two of those skull emojis is what you'll see. LOL.**


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